OUT OF MANY, ONE Pentecost 2008
Scripture: Acts 2:1-13, 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
This is a day of celebration. This year on Pentecost we are celebrating the birthday of the church and also Pluralism Sunday. Seven weeks after Easter, Pentecost is celebrated as commemorating the time that Jesus’ words were fulfilled by having the Holy Spirit descend on his followers. It is the third most important festival in Christianity, after Easter and Christmas. Pentecost was and is a Jewish Festival coming 50 days after Passover, it celebrated the completion of both harvest and Moses being given the Law on Mt. Sinai. This story goes back to the Tower of Babel experience in Genesis 11. In the beginning, so the story goes, all people were one tribe and spoke the same language. At the beginning the whole tribe was behind the building of a single tower that would be bigger than anyone had ever seen. Unfortunately the building took much longer than anyone imagined—several generations. The grandchildren of the original builders didn’t have the same devotion to building this tower—it was more a chore than a sacred duty. Now of course we have no way of knowing exactly what happened way back then. One story has it that a worker carrying a brick to the very top, a task that took many months, fell and the people mourned the brick over the worker. As a punishment for their prideful attempt to build a tower with its top in the heavens and for their lack of compassion for each other, God caused these men to be scattered into different language groups. They were fragmented and separated and could no longer speak to or understand each other. (Our English word babble comes from this story.) This story can be a lesson for us that whenever we value the material world over the person, we lose our ability to understand each other, even if we speak the same language.
After Jesus was killed, we all know how sad his followers were. When Jesus made his after resurrection appearances to them, they were comforted and inspired. Peter decided to gather Jesus followers together in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Now these Jews that followed Jesus came from many different countries and language groups. Peter, however, was not distracted by this problem as he was so on fire with the good news of Jesus the Christ and his promise to give them the Holy Spirit as an Advocate. As he spoke humbly yet forcefully from his heart, everyone understood him and each other in their own language. As the scripture says, they all marveled saying,”Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?"
Is it possible when we dare speak humbly and directly from our heart, we understand each other? Could it be that when we speak from that divine center that is part of all of us, when we speak the truth with compassion, we are able to communicate with others, even without words, that people become one again. It’s such a temptation in our modern world with its busyness and emphasis on profits and deadlines to value the brick over the person. I wonder how many here today spend much of their time fulfilling someone else’s dream and not working on their own. Each of us has the possibility each day to choose what we value: the brick or the person. An example of this compassion that comes to me is the story from the Special Olympics where those with mental retardation and development disabilities compete. In a race for the gold, one of the participants fell down and those behind him took the time to help him rather than taking the opportunity to run ahead and get the prize. Mark Nepo to whom I am indebted for much of the spin on the Tower of Babel story says it this way, “…when I am drawn to speak or listen with compassion, holding what is living above that the living make, things become one. Suddenly I belong again to the one tribe that holds each other at days end. So when we find ourselves speaking a language no one seems to understand, or, more important, when we can’t seem to understand or feel anyone else, we need to ask, ‘What brick am I carrying, and has it become too important?’”
These points carry over so well to the concept of Pluralism. The Center for Progressive Christianity, the Network of Spiritual Progressives and others have designated this year’s Pentecost Sunday as “Pluralism Sunday,” in which we are invited to celebrate the many paths to God. Jim Burklo, the director of Pluralism Sunday, talks about America having a long tradition of toleration for different religions; we tolerate having different faiths in our neighborhoods. What he hopes is that Pluralism Sunday will take a step beyond and actually embrace other religions and honor them at a deeper level. Another goal is to let the world know that there is a way to be Christian without the exclusivity and superiority that is so familiar to us in this country. If we are able to look beneath the outside differences with the compassion of the divine heart as opposed to valuing our own economic or belief system, pluralism will have a great chance of succeeding as we accept and embrace others on a deep level.
I have chosen as my sermon title, of Out of Many, One. Did you know this was the original motto of our country before “In God we trust”? When I was a child I remember the slogan about America being the melting pot, referring to the acceptance of the many different immigrant groups. A little later, maybe when I was a teenager, I heard people talking about America as a Salad Bowl rather than a melting pot, and I remember how much better I liked that term. It seemed more realistic and preserved all the beauty and variety that immigrants bring to this country, the diversity I talked about last week. Dr. Bob Cornwell has a wonderful description of this Salad Bowl: “We may be Americans, but we're also something else - African, Italian, Asian, English, Arab, Latin American. ... We're Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant, or perhaps none of the above. A good garden salad has lots of great ingredients that retain their identity even as they're tossed into the salad - tomato, green onion, spinach, baby arugula, radicchio, romaine, radish, carrot, croutons, maybe some blue cheese, and the dressing of one's choice. Each ingredient adds flavor and texture to the salad. It's true that over time assimilation does happen, but even with intermarriage and a standardized education, we remain products of our heritage and common experiences, just like a salad.” Out of Many, One. I really like that!
In this salad bowl we can share and learn from each other. Pluralism is recognizing that my way is not the only way; or as I have preached before, Jesus is my gate to God; however there are other gates for other people that are just as valid for them as Jesus is for me. We don’t have to agree; neither do we have to accept that anything goes. It is important to share our own beliefs respectfully. There are times when we may have to speak out strongly against certain religious or cultural practices such as girls’ genital mutilations. It would be a mistake to say that everything anyone does in the name of God is okay. A pluralistic view believes we get closer to God and each other when we let compassion lead us to understand the traditions of others with whom we share our planet.
Both Pentecost and Pluralism point to a God who enables us to speak and hear in ways that bring unity rather than divisiveness. Our other Bible reading in first Corinthians also celebrates pluralism as Paul talks about how there are many gifts yet the same Spirit or One body with many members—Out of Many, One. Although this reference is pertaining to the early Christians, I see it applying to us all being part of the mystical body of Christ. In researching this sermon, I came across this quote, “Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts they need something that they don't have and they turn to the only light they have…” It might surprise you to know that this was said by Billy Graham.
Paul says we are all made to drink of the same Spirit which for me is like the Holy Spirit coming into all the gathered there in Jerusalem, all the Diaspora of Jews with many different languages. It reminds me of a hymn by Al Carmines that we will be singing after the sermon; according to our hymn book it was the first modern text to claim diversity as a gift from God. “Many gifts, one Spirit, one love known in many ways. In our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise one Giver, one Lord, one Spirit, one God known in many ways.” For me pluralism is a gift of God’s amazing creativity: diversity but more than that—God’s affirming that all of this is good, precious in God’s sight. And that we as citizens of the world as well as followers of a particular belief system are to reach out to the others in humility, affirming diversity and celebrating pluralism in the light of God’s vision of reconciliation, forgiveness and healing of the planet and all God’s children. God is calling us to celebrate our gifts and share them with the world. So I urge all of you to not just celebrate diversity on this Sunday, but to pay attention to how God is revealed in each and every life and nation and to fill our hearts with a compassion that will bring us together rather than separate us. Praise to our awesome Creator. Amen.
This is a day of celebration. This year on Pentecost we are celebrating the birthday of the church and also Pluralism Sunday. Seven weeks after Easter, Pentecost is celebrated as commemorating the time that Jesus’ words were fulfilled by having the Holy Spirit descend on his followers. It is the third most important festival in Christianity, after Easter and Christmas. Pentecost was and is a Jewish Festival coming 50 days after Passover, it celebrated the completion of both harvest and Moses being given the Law on Mt. Sinai. This story goes back to the Tower of Babel experience in Genesis 11. In the beginning, so the story goes, all people were one tribe and spoke the same language. At the beginning the whole tribe was behind the building of a single tower that would be bigger than anyone had ever seen. Unfortunately the building took much longer than anyone imagined—several generations. The grandchildren of the original builders didn’t have the same devotion to building this tower—it was more a chore than a sacred duty. Now of course we have no way of knowing exactly what happened way back then. One story has it that a worker carrying a brick to the very top, a task that took many months, fell and the people mourned the brick over the worker. As a punishment for their prideful attempt to build a tower with its top in the heavens and for their lack of compassion for each other, God caused these men to be scattered into different language groups. They were fragmented and separated and could no longer speak to or understand each other. (Our English word babble comes from this story.) This story can be a lesson for us that whenever we value the material world over the person, we lose our ability to understand each other, even if we speak the same language.
After Jesus was killed, we all know how sad his followers were. When Jesus made his after resurrection appearances to them, they were comforted and inspired. Peter decided to gather Jesus followers together in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Now these Jews that followed Jesus came from many different countries and language groups. Peter, however, was not distracted by this problem as he was so on fire with the good news of Jesus the Christ and his promise to give them the Holy Spirit as an Advocate. As he spoke humbly yet forcefully from his heart, everyone understood him and each other in their own language. As the scripture says, they all marveled saying,”Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?"
Is it possible when we dare speak humbly and directly from our heart, we understand each other? Could it be that when we speak from that divine center that is part of all of us, when we speak the truth with compassion, we are able to communicate with others, even without words, that people become one again. It’s such a temptation in our modern world with its busyness and emphasis on profits and deadlines to value the brick over the person. I wonder how many here today spend much of their time fulfilling someone else’s dream and not working on their own. Each of us has the possibility each day to choose what we value: the brick or the person. An example of this compassion that comes to me is the story from the Special Olympics where those with mental retardation and development disabilities compete. In a race for the gold, one of the participants fell down and those behind him took the time to help him rather than taking the opportunity to run ahead and get the prize. Mark Nepo to whom I am indebted for much of the spin on the Tower of Babel story says it this way, “…when I am drawn to speak or listen with compassion, holding what is living above that the living make, things become one. Suddenly I belong again to the one tribe that holds each other at days end. So when we find ourselves speaking a language no one seems to understand, or, more important, when we can’t seem to understand or feel anyone else, we need to ask, ‘What brick am I carrying, and has it become too important?’”
These points carry over so well to the concept of Pluralism. The Center for Progressive Christianity, the Network of Spiritual Progressives and others have designated this year’s Pentecost Sunday as “Pluralism Sunday,” in which we are invited to celebrate the many paths to God. Jim Burklo, the director of Pluralism Sunday, talks about America having a long tradition of toleration for different religions; we tolerate having different faiths in our neighborhoods. What he hopes is that Pluralism Sunday will take a step beyond and actually embrace other religions and honor them at a deeper level. Another goal is to let the world know that there is a way to be Christian without the exclusivity and superiority that is so familiar to us in this country. If we are able to look beneath the outside differences with the compassion of the divine heart as opposed to valuing our own economic or belief system, pluralism will have a great chance of succeeding as we accept and embrace others on a deep level.
I have chosen as my sermon title, of Out of Many, One. Did you know this was the original motto of our country before “In God we trust”? When I was a child I remember the slogan about America being the melting pot, referring to the acceptance of the many different immigrant groups. A little later, maybe when I was a teenager, I heard people talking about America as a Salad Bowl rather than a melting pot, and I remember how much better I liked that term. It seemed more realistic and preserved all the beauty and variety that immigrants bring to this country, the diversity I talked about last week. Dr. Bob Cornwell has a wonderful description of this Salad Bowl: “We may be Americans, but we're also something else - African, Italian, Asian, English, Arab, Latin American. ... We're Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant, or perhaps none of the above. A good garden salad has lots of great ingredients that retain their identity even as they're tossed into the salad - tomato, green onion, spinach, baby arugula, radicchio, romaine, radish, carrot, croutons, maybe some blue cheese, and the dressing of one's choice. Each ingredient adds flavor and texture to the salad. It's true that over time assimilation does happen, but even with intermarriage and a standardized education, we remain products of our heritage and common experiences, just like a salad.” Out of Many, One. I really like that!
In this salad bowl we can share and learn from each other. Pluralism is recognizing that my way is not the only way; or as I have preached before, Jesus is my gate to God; however there are other gates for other people that are just as valid for them as Jesus is for me. We don’t have to agree; neither do we have to accept that anything goes. It is important to share our own beliefs respectfully. There are times when we may have to speak out strongly against certain religious or cultural practices such as girls’ genital mutilations. It would be a mistake to say that everything anyone does in the name of God is okay. A pluralistic view believes we get closer to God and each other when we let compassion lead us to understand the traditions of others with whom we share our planet.
Both Pentecost and Pluralism point to a God who enables us to speak and hear in ways that bring unity rather than divisiveness. Our other Bible reading in first Corinthians also celebrates pluralism as Paul talks about how there are many gifts yet the same Spirit or One body with many members—Out of Many, One. Although this reference is pertaining to the early Christians, I see it applying to us all being part of the mystical body of Christ. In researching this sermon, I came across this quote, “Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the body of Christ because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts they need something that they don't have and they turn to the only light they have…” It might surprise you to know that this was said by Billy Graham.
Paul says we are all made to drink of the same Spirit which for me is like the Holy Spirit coming into all the gathered there in Jerusalem, all the Diaspora of Jews with many different languages. It reminds me of a hymn by Al Carmines that we will be singing after the sermon; according to our hymn book it was the first modern text to claim diversity as a gift from God. “Many gifts, one Spirit, one love known in many ways. In our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise one Giver, one Lord, one Spirit, one God known in many ways.” For me pluralism is a gift of God’s amazing creativity: diversity but more than that—God’s affirming that all of this is good, precious in God’s sight. And that we as citizens of the world as well as followers of a particular belief system are to reach out to the others in humility, affirming diversity and celebrating pluralism in the light of God’s vision of reconciliation, forgiveness and healing of the planet and all God’s children. God is calling us to celebrate our gifts and share them with the world. So I urge all of you to not just celebrate diversity on this Sunday, but to pay attention to how God is revealed in each and every life and nation and to fill our hearts with a compassion that will bring us together rather than separate us. Praise to our awesome Creator. Amen.
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 6:54 AM
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