“I HOPE YOU DANCE” A Meditation for Confirmation Sunday by the Rev. Michael W. Lowry May 23, 2010 – Pentecost Text: James 1:17-27 Speaking as a preacher, friends, I would have to say that some of the most inspiring sermons are, as the old saying goes, those that I’ve seen rather than those I’ve heard… or preached! I remember once many years ago in a former parish when the time had come for me to preach my annual stewardship sermon. It’d been a very difficult year for the church, financially speaking; this was a congregation where almost 80% of our members were somehow connected to or employed by state government, and that year there had already been massive layoffs of state employees, with more to come! So things were looking pretty grim in the community and in the church – to the point where the congregation was about to make major cuts in the church budget: including all of the mission and most of the Christian education line items, which would have truly been devastating to the life and mission of that church. So you’ll understand why I poured my whole heart and soul into the sermon for that morning! Folks, I remember pulling out all the stops, homiletically speaking – as far as I was concerned, it was now or never! I was going to be the pastoral bull in a china shop (!), even as I privately wondered if what I was saying could make any difference at all. And the beauty part is… it didn’t! Despite whatever eloquence I mustered, our budget issues continued. But, as it turned out, something else did make a big difference. I got this letter in the mail – and inside the envelope there’s only this hastily scrawled, handwritten note carefully wrapped up around… well, a rather significant amount of money that was sacrificial in more ways than one. You see, this was money that had been set aside for a family vacation. But the family had decided that the vacation could wait – what was more important now was giving something to God, so that the church’s ministry could continue. It was meant to be an anonymous gift, and we honored that request. But whereas the money itself was both generously given and gratefully received, it was the letter that made all the difference – I dare say it changed a vote of the congregation at the church budget meeting. In the end, I guess the members figured that if God’s word could inspire one family to take this much of a leap of faith… perhaps they could be inspired to do so as a church. And for me, friends, that’s as good a sermon as you’ll ever hear! “Every generous act of giving,” says James, “with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights… in fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” You know, one of the reasons I love the Epistle of James is that this is truly scripture that has its heart in heaven but its feet firmly planted on the ground. By that I mean that whereas many of the Epistles are concerned with matters of head and heart that arise in confessing Christ, James keeps his emphasis on “doing” Christianity: executing Christianity as a way of life, a life lived in holiness, purity and charity. That’s significant, because let’s be honest – so often it’s not knowing that which is good and pure and holy that’s the problem for us; inevitably, the issue seems to be are we doing it? “Be doers of the word and not merely hearers,” says James, because knowing what to do in faith is never as important as doing what you know to do in faith. Knowing faith without doing it is like faith without works: not only is it dead, but ultimately it’s a lie – to ourselves, to others and to God. There’s high precedent for this in the gospels. Remember that Jesus never asked any of his followers, do you agree with me? He never asked his disciples if what he was saying and teaching sounded reasonable to them. Because what Jesus wanted was more than agreement. He said, “Follow me.” Jesus was seeking discipleship, not mere philosophical agreement – and that’s an important truth for all of us, and especially for the eight young people who are being confirmed here amongst us this morning. You see, so many of us as Christians tend to treat the Word of God as simply another take it or leave it proposition. We’ll listen to scripture passively, with open ears but with skeptical hearts. We’ll take truth and ponder it, reflect on its meaning and consider its ramifications – but all too often, we stop right there, just short of allowing God’s truth so close as to get to us, change us, to make into that which God would have us be, and that’s tragic indeed. For the true test of our faith, according to James, does not rest on all our good words, songs and prayers, but rather what we do with those words, songs and prayers. The crucial question is not, do you agree with Christ, but will you follow Christ? And if you follow Christ, what does this mean for the rest of your life and living? At the end of the day, that’s what matters the most for these young adults and for all of us. Friends, every year, I get to the end of another confirmation class and I lament that I wasn’t able to get in everything I wanted to share with these kids before today – bottom line, there is so much to talk about regarding a life of faith, and even after the better part of a year’s worth of classes there still isn’t enough time to do it all! But, as I’ve told them, that’s why faith is a journey, not a destination, and that there will always be more to explore about our Christian faith. So, guys, as you set out on the next part of that journey with your confirmation today, my prayer is that you go with God and that along the way you will be doers of God’s Word. And really, how that happens comes down to how you deal with what goes on after this service of worship… how you handle these last few days of school and exams and the summer that’s ahead… how you treat the people around you, and what kind of priorities you set for yourselves when everybody else seems to be going in a different direction. It comes down to knowing who you are, and knowing who God is – and then living accordingly. So have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, even if you get into trouble with others for it. Because doing good and doing it because of faith is something to be lauded, not ridiculed. Don’t ever let any good word get left unsaid or any potential random act of kindness be ignored – you have no idea how something you say or do can change somebody’s life for the better. When you’ve got an impulse to reach out to those in need, to do something good without fanfare and without reward, to do the right thing even when it’s the hard thing – don’t think twice; just do it. Because this, above all, is what God wants from all of us and it’s what will give your lives its meaning – to love freely and openly just as we have been loved. It might have something to do with having a daughter graduating this week, but all week I’ve been thinking about this country song from about 10 years ago by Lee Ann Womack called “I Hope You Dance.” If you don’t know it, it’s a great song that was written by a mother to a daughter, and it is filled with the hopes and dreams that all parents have for their kids – of course, like most classic country songs, it acknowledges all the hard knocks of life, but this one also affirms its wonder. “I hope you’ll still feel small when standing by the ocean “Whenever one door closes, another opens. “Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance, “And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, “I hope you dance.” It’s a great prayer for confirmation, too, isn’t it? You can spend this life sitting on the sidelines, letting the world move around you, unwilling to be a participant in the adventure God has set before you… or you can get up and dance the dance of life and love and faith, making the choice to live out of all that you know to be true by the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. So Confirmands, and Christians of St. John’s, you, too, have the choice to sit it out and dance… And I hope you dance. Thanks be to God! AMEN and AMEN!
