Remember Who You Are
June 6th, 2010
St. David’s United Church
Rev. Dan Chambers
June 6, 2010
Romans 12:1-8
Remember Who You Are
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern
what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and true.
Romans 12:2
Last week Janet had the privilege of attending the high school graduation ceremony at the Orpheum for the daughter of a very good friend. Janet was present the day this child was born, has held her in her arms when she was an infant, watched her tumble through the room as a toddler with chubby legs and baggy diapers, watched her twirl in her dress at our wedding when she was just three, watched her grow and mature and become a fabulous young person. Flash. She’s learning to drive. Flash. She has her first job. Flash. She’s graduating from high school.
Aside from the swift current of time, Janet was also taken by the maturity of some of the students. Later, in our kitchen after the ceremony, Janet commented on how some of the students just seemed to “know who they are.” It was something beyond poise. She said, “You could tell how they walked across the stage who had a good sense of themselves.”
One of my professors came from England and as a young boy, he reported that when he went out the door for a long day of play his mother would always say, “Remember who you are.” It was a refrain she repeated even as he got older and went to a soccer game or a party or a trip away from home, “Allan, remember who you are.”
When he was young, he thought she only meant, “remember your name and address in case you get lost.” But as he grew, he came to the conclusion that she meant in all his exploring of this vast world, that he not get lost as did the Prodigal Son, but remember who he was, not just the son of a physician, but a child of God.
Last week we had a meeting after the service to discuss future directions for St. David’s. It was a good meeting, I believe, offering the opportunity to share ideas and possibilities and priorities and preferences in a trusting and respectful environment. St. David’s has been around now for 53 years, the United Church for 85, and as we all face a time of change and significant transition, I think it’s essential that we remember who we are.
You’re walking down the street one fine afternoon consumed in your
own thoughts when a friend greets you and asks what you’re thinking about. Likely you’d respond that you were just pondering last week’s sermon and the implications for it in your life. OK, maybe not, but since this is an entirely hypothetical situation, let’s just say that the conversation of church came up and you were asked right there in front of God and everybody, “What’s the United Church about?” how would you answer? How would you describe this denomination that now has 85 years under its belt?
I think I might begin with the trinity. Why not? Today, anyway, I think I’d describe the United Church with the trinity of Todd, Martha and Maria. Maria is a mother of two and appreciates how the United Church provides an environment where her children can interact with people of all different ages. She says, “the children’s grandparents live in Montreal, so coming to church allows my kids to be embraced by wonderful people, some of whom are like adopted grandparents right here at home.” Maria also appreciates how the United Church helps her children learn about the important stories of the Bible, but also encourages questions and wonder.
Maria serves on the Pastoral Care Committee, and she’s always helping out visiting people in the hospital or taking a meal over to someone who needs some support. Her caring presence has touched the lives of many, and she’s always ready to organize a dinner or social gathering at the church. “Heck,” she says with a smile, “Christ can work with a party!”
Martha is the second person of this denominational trinity. Martha is part of GoGo, an organization that supports grandmothers in Africa who, having lost their children to AIDS, raise their own grandchildren. Martha can be seen cutting vegetables in the kitchen for the Out of the Cold dinners and organizes the Christmas Hampers and signs petitions for various causes. She has a passion for social justice and is always looking for ways the church can work together in service to others. Martha isn’t sure what to make of the resurrection and doesn’t believe in the Virgin Birth, but she’s very sure Jesus spent far more time with the poor and suffering than he did with the elite, and she thinks that’s where the church should be too. “When we get to heaven,” Martha says, “we’re going to be asked one question: Did you get your hands dirty?”
Martha’s curly hair is now grey and in her many years on this earth she’s come to know and love a wide variety of people: some are Christian, lots are not; some are heterosexual, others are not; some are conservative, some are not. So she appreciates a denomination that reflects the diversity of her relational experience and is proud to be part of a church that was the first denomination to ordain a woman (1937) and the first in Canada to approve the ordination of a gay or lesbian (1988). She says about the United Church, “We’re highly imperfect, but in our stumbling way we do our best to shine some light in the dark places of the world.”
The third person in this denominational trinity is Todd. Todd is in his forties, is divorced, balances a busy career and adjusting to a two-home family. He has the kids for two weeks of the month and also tries to make time for his book group, which he’s part of at the church. Todd is grateful for the denomination’s emphasis on an intellectually honest and open approach to a life of faith. He participates in adult education events and tries to arrange his schedule for church retreats, because he feels these help him sink more deeply into his faith and simply help him be clear about what matters in life. He appreciates the community in these study groups, and is grateful that people can have very different opinions and perspectives and beliefs, and still listen to each other with respect, and laugh.
He was impressed to learn that as far back as 1962 the United Church published what was then called “the New Curriculum,” which incorporated modern biblical scholarship with the curriculum for Sunday school. He says, “People shouldn’t be shielded from what the scholars know, but with that awareness, wrestle the biblical text for meaning as Jacob wrestled with the angel.”
When it comes to the Bible, Todd believes we should rip the back cover right off as a sign that “God is still speaking.” He’s fond of quoting Gracie Allen’s line, “Never put a period where God has put a comma,” and he believes the creating God is still creating, and the Word that was in the beginning is still speaking to us if we but stop and listen.
By now, of course, your friend who originally asked the question about your church has either left to catch the bus long ago, or the two of you have already walked into the Bakehouse for a cup of coffee and a muffin. It may not be the most concise way to describe the denomination we celebrate today, but one could do worse than the trinity of Todd, Martha and Maria, because to introduce the United Church is to make a personal introduction. Naturally, the church is only made up of people who are connected in one body – we call this the Body of Christ – but we have different passions and ways to serve and ways to embody the faith. That’s why we need a trinity. One won’t do when diversity is the norm, and one thing that seems to be true of the church and, for that matter, of all creation is that it is one diverse living being.
“Remember who you are,” Allan’s mother would call out as he was already half out the door. Isn’t this the work of the church: to remind us who we are? To hold this tender world so badly bruised and misused and help us all remember who we are? It’s the work of prophets and sages and saints; it’s the work of a saviour who in his living and in his dying reminded us not only who he is but also who we are.
“Don’t let your minds be conformed to this world…” Paul wrote to the Romans. I wonder if they, too, were filled with images of what they were supposed to be? I wonder if they, too, needed to remember that true success may have nothing to do with power and prestige, and true wealth may have nothing at all to do with possessions? I wonder if they, too, needed to be reminded that there’s more to a life than making sure your senses are satisfied. I wonder if they, too, worried about things like keeping up appearances and faithfully following the mainstream? Did they carry around all that stuff, too? Perhaps that’s why Paul reminded them not to be conformed to the world, because they, like us, needed to be reminded who they are.
“Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” So this remembering business is also about renewing. This sounds to me not at all like it’s about adding a bunch of new information, but that it’s about a transformation that comes from a well-spring deep within, perhaps where our nous, our mind, touches the edge of mystery, the hem of the divine, and in that proximity we find ourselves healed.
I don’t think this kind of renewal is all that rare. There are different levels of intensity, of course, but I believe all of us have likely had experiences when the world appears in sudden clarity, as if someone just took a photograph of the moment and held it in front of you, suspended in time. The moment might be beautiful, or not, but it has a sense of being complete in itself, whole, somehow.
The Christian tradition calls these moments “grace-filled,” because we can’t manufacture them. We can’t make them happen. They come to us, like being surprised by a postcard in the mail from a good friend. But we can notice them. And when they do happen, we can give thanks.
We can also practice coming near to that place where our nous touches the edge of mystery through worship and a dozen ways of praying. We can practice by living authentically and mindfully. We can put ourselves in the way of grace by forgiving others and replacing judgment with empathy and insight. In all these ways, we’re like the humming bird more than the camel. The camel can take a long drink and go for days and many miles without water. The hummingbird zips to its source, drinks, zips, and sips some more. Through worship, prayer and intentional living, we keep coming back to the edge of mystery, where we remember again what we lost, sip from it, and through grace the work of transformation renews our body and mind.
And every Sunday when the service ends with a blessing, it’s like a mother calling over your shoulder as you turn to go out the door, “Remember who you are.”
God bless you. Amen.
Introduction to the Scripture
On this 85th anniversary of the United Church, I find myself drawn to a scripture reading that, in my mind, serves as a perfect analogy for the church: one body, with many members, each serving different functions, each valued for their own unique contribution.
The purpose of the church is also clearly stated in both today’s reading and the reading for next week: the purpose is for transformation and service. In this reading, Paul advises his small flock in Rome not to be conformed to the ways of the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your minds so you can discern the will of God.
Not conformed, but transformed by the renewing of your minds…
The English word “mind” translates the Greek term nous. If I were to ask you to point to your mind on your body, you’d likely point to the brain. But not the Greeks. They might just as likely point to the nose, as the etymology of nous can be traced back to the root meaning “to sniff,” which suggests a “way of acquiring knowledge” through the sense of smell. We all know how a fragrance can unleash a flood of memories; the smell bread baking or clean mountain air connects with memories from my childhood, for example. The connection between “knowing” and “smell” is perhaps why we “sniff out the truth” or why a detective, like a good bloodhound, might pick-up the scent of the criminal.
In early Greek literature such as Homer, nous referred not to an intellectual organ (brain) but to a function which was defined as the ability to realize fully the true nature or essence of a thing and not be distracted by its surface appearance. So we don’t judge a book by its cover or a person by their appearance. Nous provided the ability to perceive a camouflaged enemy soldier hiding among the rocks.
But “the mind” discerns not only the real from the superficial in practical situations, but in Greek philosophy “nous” also discovers the ‘true’ character of reality, or, as one of my professors put it, “the really real.” Thus the mind appears to be the link between human existence and divine presence.
We can’t see God directly, can’t hold God’s hand or find God sitting on the couch of our living room. But in this passage, Paul speaks from his familiarity of Greek culture that what is incomprehensible to human senses is able to be perceived, or “sniffed out” by nous, the human mind. Nous helps us perceive a camouflaged God hiding in the world. This idea developed to include the significant connection between the mind and ethical behavior: to fully know the good is to do the good.
The church provides a place where we can cultivate the renewing of our minds in order to discern the ways of God.
(Romans 12:1-8)
