"Do You Hear What I Hear?"

Gloria Shayne Baker died a week and a half ago on March 6. With Noel Regney in 1962 she co-wrote the well known Christmas Song which title I borrowed for this posting. I had also thought of borrowing comedienne Joan Rivers' tag line, "Can we talk!" for the title.

Good conversation is a crucial ingredient to healthy relationships. Are we willing to talk with each other when things need to be said? Are we willing to communicate openly, honestly, respectfully? Are we able to listen openly, honestly and respectfully when other persons show the courage to share their thoughts and feelings with us? When we are confused or unsure of what is being said, are we willing to ask whether or not we are hearing correctly what is being said? Are we willing to consider that what we hear is incorrect and, therefore, are we willing to ask others if they heard what we thought we heard?

Many of us don't take the time to talk with others directly about our feelings, thoughts or aspirations. I wonder how things would have been different if Governor Spitzer had had a conversation with someone about what was going on inside of his mind before he did what he did? Such persons don't tend to be so introspective or considerate of others, often to their eventual undoing. But don't you wish for his family's sake, if not for his, that he had at least thought to himself about the consequences of his desires before acting upon them?

There is a lot of talking going on these days. We talk and talk and rarely seem to listen. In the UCC we believe that God is still speaking. Indeed, we can take comfort and inspiration in the ways in which we continue to listen for the living, breathing, changeless yet ever changing Word of God and how this calls us to grow in our understanding of discipleship, ministry and mission. And yet, we also do well to wonder and ask: are we hearing correctly? Is the Word that we think we hear, actually the Word that God is saying?

I have heard several life changing words over the years that I dare to attribute to the workings of God's Spirit in my life. Some of these words have inspired and given confidence. Others have provided needed guidance and correction in behaviors that were unconstructive.

What I most appreciate is the blessing of living and working within a community of grace that allows for, encourages and supports persons in their growth. The genius of the United Church of Christ comes from the notion that Christians can stay at the same table even if and when they disagree. That is, I believe we're at our best when we prayerfully and respectfully acknowledge our differences while rejoicing that we all love the Church and are seeking to be faithful to the One who calls us to ministry in the name of Jesus.

I also know that too often we speak the truth without love for each other or God. This happens when we are unwilling to listen to or accept the sincerity of those who disagree with us. It happens when we cannot acknowledge that opposing points of view might also hold a facet of God's truth. This happens when the truth that we hear is uncomfortable, when it points to our own false opinions or sinful thoughts, words or deeds. We may want to disavow and disassociate ourselves or question the wisdom of saying what we have from the sound bites of sermons from the preaching of Jeremiah Wright. His words are disturbing. But what if there is truth in them? We know that our personal sins often come back to haunt us. What if he is right that our sins as a nation also come back to haunt us?

The Word that has formed the basis of my sense of call to Christian ministry comes from the writings of St. Paul when he said that in Christ God has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). With Paul I believe that this is the central meaning of the cross: in Christ God has reconciled the world to God's self. But also with Paul I realize that I often fall short of this calling, doing what I should not have done and not doing what I should have done. (Romans 7:15)

A case in point is a letter that I received this week from one of our pastors regarding the posting on this blog "Principalities and Powers." He took me to task when I passed on the speculations in the UCC Blog (http://unitedchurchofchrist.blogspot.com) over the question of who might have made the complaint to the Internal Revenue Service about Barak Obama's appearance at General Synod in 2007.

Looking at this posting from hindsight I would have written it differently. I mentioned the UCC Blog article and named the two organizations named by those speculating as to the source of the IRS complaint instead of my normal practice of mentioning that speculation exists then providing the link to the article. And so, I am sorry for this oversight. Here is the link to the article on the UCC Blog that I reported. http://unitedchurchofchrist.blogspot.com/2008/03/who-filed-irs-complaint.html

The UCC or UCC members and churches have been much in the news lately. As mentioned above Jeremiah Wright, pastor of Trinity UCC in Chicago, and his relationship and influence with Barak Obama has received a good deal of attention over the last few days. And so, here are are the links to various statements and reports from sources both within and outside the UCC.

Barak Obama's statement: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barack-obama/on-my-faith-and-my-church_b_91623.html.

UCC Leaders' Statement: http://www.ucc.org/news/chicagos-trinity-ucc-is.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=36911891.

UCC Blog Article "A Word of Respect for Jeremiah Wright" (quotes from Diane Butler Bass and the Religious News Service) : http://unitedchurchofchrist.blogspot.com/2008/03/word-of-respect-for-jeremiah-wright.html.

Article in Saturday's Binghamton Press quoting several UCC Pastors: http://www.binghamtonpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080315/NEWS01/803150330/1001/ARCHIVE.

Well, enough of this. It is Palm Sunday. And the word that I continue to hear is the one that calls me to consider along with the haunting words and powerful tune of the Appalachian folk hymn:

"What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!"

Blessings,

Rick Cowles