Sermon Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13; Revelation 21:1-6a
New Life Sunday, 1 Jan 06

'Tis the Season - to Start Anew

What a lead-up to a lay sermon -- a scripture out of Ecclesiastes, which has been characterized as "the most dangerous book in the Bible" because of its potential to be misinterpreted, and another out of Revelation. Revelation is scary -- it just is. "Hey, I know -- let's ask the elder chair to do this one."

There is, however, method to our madness. The passage from Ecclesiastes -- to all things there is a season -- certainly characterizes the year we just went through. Are there any of the Ecclesiastical seasons we didn't cover in 2005? (I'm reminded of one woman who, upon reading Dr. Laura Schlessinger's book Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, whimsically told Dr. Laura that "there's three or four I still haven't gotten to yet.")

In the interest of equal time, I should point out that she also has companion book called Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives. And yes, it has more pages than the women's version. It's quite good, actually. Trade secret: husbands, you can score some points if you read it.

Bottom line is, the more Kathy and I kicked this around, the more we arrived at the conclusion, "who better to spend a few moments talking about this on New Life Sunday, especially given the events of the last month, than the leader of the Elders?"

Let's take a closer look at the passage from Revelation: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new."

The use of the present tense here is essential. Depending on the translation, God is saying either "I make all things new" or "I am making all things new." That's "am making," not "have made." This is a work in progress.

And so are we.

We have experienced a cataclysmic event in the life of this church. Our pastor shocked us with a personal revelation, leaving us dazed, hurt, confused, and more than a little scared.

The year is 1925. The pastor is Dr. L.O. Bricker. (To all things there is a season.) The ghosts of 1925 have haunted this church for eight decades, and we have never fully laid them to rest. The events surrounding those days are still within the living memory of some of our older members.

That particular cataclysm revolved around Dr. Bricker losing his heart to a divorced woman. In 1925, this was quite the scandal -- especially when we recall that the dynamic, powerful Dr. Bricker, pastor of the prestigious First Christian Church of Atlanta, was adamant that he would not preside over the marriage of people who had been previously divorced. Such people were not welcome.

Now I'm old-fashioned enough to believe, and have seen enough societal statistics to know, that there's no such thing as a good divorce. However, we are, all of us, fallen beings, and we all make mistakes. Sometimes dreadful ones. Indeed, if that weren't the case, there wouldn't be much need for that big cross over there, and the sacraments sitting on that table.

But God said to his lost creation that "I love you enough to send my own son to give his life for you - so that you, flawed, fallen creatures that you are, can have life everlasting -- with Me."

Moreover, there was an opportunity for learning and growth in that congregation, to realize that God can forgive sin, if the sinner owns his sin and is willing to repent of it. So would it be too much to imagine that God would have looked down on Dr. Bricker and said "son, there's someone I'd like you to meet? Oh...and there's a little something about her you should know....."

Imagine the scene, if you can. The pastor of our church turned one of his foundational principles upside down; the pastor who refused to officiate over the marriage of divorcees ended up choosing a divorcee to be his bride. And it tore the church apart.

We, of course, were the people who [pounds podium with each word] stood on principle. "You said," we said, "that this was completely unacceptable, and we believed you." Hurt. Pain. Disbelief. Shock.

Others, however, were willing to consider the possibility of grace. That people make mistakes. That things might not be quite as they seem. And that there might be a different way to walk. That group of people moved to the north side of town and built a magnificent cathedral; the body within it called themselves Peachtree Christian Church.

And we, the "leftovers" -- the principled ones, in our own eyes -- saddled with what was for the time a huge mortgage bill, an empty pulpit, and many bitter feelings, have lived for 80 years in the shadow of that cathedral. We have also lived with the following:

• the feeling that we were "second best," when we used to be first
• the fear that we couldn't trust our pastor or our leaders
• the fear that we would never have enough money
• the fear that the church was going to die and wouldn't be here when we needed it

Some of our leaders, both lay and clergy, have studied Family Systems -- and they will tell you that the dynamics in play in this church for eight decades resemble those of an injured, hurt family. We have never forgiven ourselves for not forgiving ourselves - and forgiving Dr. Bricker. We have lived in and with that pain for all these years. And even if you weren't here -- or hadn't been born yet -- in 1925, the behaviors we learned, and the way this church dealt with that situation then, formed the way we respond to crises even now.

So fast-forward 80 years to 2005. Last month, we had another cataclysmic event of much the same nature, underscoring the phrase "there is nothing new under the sun." The circumstances are different, and, arguably, more serious -- but all the hurt, all the pain, all the fear -- for those of you in this sanctuary two weeks ago, you felt it crash over this room like a tsunami, if you'll forgive the metaphor. Many of our older members no doubt felt "oh no -- not again."

But could this also be a test? An opportunity for growth and healing to emerge from terrible pain? An opportunity to bury 80 years of fear and hurt, and allow God to make us anew? Is this God, looking down on Atlanta First Christian and saying "folks, I'd like you to meet some people? Oh...and there's something you should know about them...."

It is -- but only if we are willing to walk the path we find ourselves on. We must be willing to grant ourselves the grace of time. This is important enough to repeat -- the grace of time is not only, or even primarily, for Tom -- it is for us. For walking this path will take time, and the destination is uncertain. But it is something we must do, irrespective of whether Tom ever again stands in this pulpit.

You've probably heard of the five stages of grief. I heard it originally as four stages, but the person who first named the steps in the grieving process, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, refined them a bit. I would like to share them with you (source link here):

A Normal Life Process

At some point in our lives, each of us faces the loss of someone or something dear to us. The grief that follows such a loss can seem unbearable, but grief is actually a healing process. Grief is the emotional suffering we feel after a loss of some kind. The death of a loved one, loss of a limb, even intense disappointment can cause grief. Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has named five stages of grief people go through following a serious loss. Sometimes people get stuck in one of the first four stages. Their lives can be painful until they move to the fifth stage -- acceptance.

Five Stages Of Grief

1. Denial and Isolation: At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.
2. Anger: The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.
3. Bargaining: Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"
4. Depression: The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.
5. Acceptance: This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.

Grieving and its stresses pass more quickly, with good self-care habits. It helps to have a close circle of family or friends. It also helps to eat a balanced diet, drink enough non-alcoholic fluids, get exercise and rest.

We have, in a real sense, had a "death" in the church. And we will feel grief. I'd be willing to bet that many of us are feeling at least one of the emotions I just listed, possibly several all jumbled together.

We didn't choose the journey we are on. But if we are to be God's church, we need to walk the journey through all five of the stages of grief, to end with acceptance.

I should point out that acceptance -- grace and forgiveness -- are different from seeing Tom back in this pulpit. It's way too early to make that call, and it is as wrong to presume that will occur as it would be to say "stick a fork in him, he's done." As I said at the outset, we don't know where God is leading us; there are too many variables in play, and too many things we ourselves need to do before we can even begin to answer that question.

And central to this process is to not allow the second stage of grief -- anger -- to control and dominate our thinking. The one thing we as the body of Christ must not do is to engage in destructive behavior -- the sort of behavior which split a church in 1925. By this I specifically mean words or deeds which prejudice a particular outcome, or to stake out positions, or to establish factions or camps within the congregation. God did not give us His son to die on a cross for this. Unfortunately, this has been our pattern for 80 years. It needs to stop. Today. This is part of what beginning anew means.

And beyond that, it is essential, now more than ever, that we, the body of Christ, stay connected. We need to draw together, not draw apart. We began revitalizing that process at the start of the current service year, and we need to step it up. We also need to avoid the so-called "back-channel" communications that have been so poisonous to this body in the past -- and by that I include the recent past.

As your Elder chair, I ask that if any of you witness or hear destructive behavior, you will personally intercede to diplomatically but firmly stop it. Moreover, if you want to talk to the church leadership, lay or clergy, as we walk this path, that's what we're here for. If you have a question for, or a concern about, me, come see me and look me straight in the eye -- don't whisper to someone else. I'm confident in saying that this also applies to Tom Landers as the board chair and Kathy as the minister.

Finally we, the church leadership, will be doing a number of things to reach out to the congregation to facilitate grace and healing; you can see several in your bulletin. Among these are the presence of at least two elders in the chapel at the 10am hour every Sunday. We're there to talk, to pray, to listen. We have a prayer-and-healing service coming up. We'll also have opportunities to gather to discuss how we go about healing and recovering from grief. Please, by all means, take advantage of these opportunities.

We're doing these things because the path to acceptance -- to grace and forgiveness -- goes through grief, which includes going through anger. The important thing is not to stop there. God has placed a huge opportunity in our hands, if we will but seize it. If we can see fit to forgive ourselves -- if we really do believe the message of the cross -- we can learn to forgive others. And in learning to forgive ourselves and learning to forgive Tom, wouldn't it be a glorious new beginning to finally lay to rest the ghosts of 1925?

And in the course of our journey, what a wonderful thing it would be for all of us to sit before the same Lord's Table and say to each other "the former things are passed away; they are no more. We will pledge to work together so that God can make us -- all of us -- anew."

Praised be the God who makes things new.

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