10/27/2024 ~ Proper 25 ~ Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22); Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1024418971

Faith and Belief

“Jesus replied, ‘Go. Your faith has saved you.’ And immediately Bartimaeus received the gift of sight and began to follow Jesus along the road.” — Mark 10:52.

I’ve covered this territory here before. I grew up in the Roman Catholic tradition and my late father taught at a Jesuit High School. Therefore, in some very formative years— throughout my teens, into my twenties— Jesuits— those radicals— were my friends.

Here’s an example. It happened when I was twenty-one. I had just returned from 14 months in Vietnam. A Jesuit friend invited me to dinner at his rectory to meet someone who was staying there for a couple days.

Now, it’s probable many of you have heard of two peace activist priests who also happen to be brothers, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Dan the Jesuit, Phil the Josephite. If don’t know about them, use “Google” and you’ll find out they were notorious.

My friend had gathered about 10 other people to meet the special guest: Dan Berrigan. I assume, since I had just returned from Vietnam, my Jesuit friend wanted me to meet Berrigan, perhaps thinking I needed to be exposed to a peace activist.

However, my reality both before and after my time in Vietnam is I realized the foolishness which put us in that mess. Therefore, however and paradoxically, I had made the decision I would enter the Army if drafted because that was my duty as a citizen.

I was, in fact, fully on board with the peace movement because of the foolishness which placed us in Vietnam. Maybe my Jesuit friend did not realize that about me.

Despite my agreement with the sentiments of the peace movement, I was young, very young. Back then I was much more interested in following the Mets, the Jets, the Yankees, the Giants, the Knicks, the Rangers and going out with friends to a local tavern. These pursuits were way more important to me than joining any peace demonstrations.

Now that I am just slightly older, I understand peace is a goal of the Dominion of God. And clearly society considered those in the peace movement, then and perhaps often now not particularly worthy of respect. They are often thought of as outcasts. Certainly the Berrigans were thought of as outcasts. (Slight pause.)

Another Jesuit friend was Vincent J. O’Keefe. I called him Uncle Vinny; that’s how close we were. He taught with my father. Later Vinny was the President of Fordham University and guided it as women first became students at what had been an all male institution.

And yes, that happened in the 60s, converting to co-ed— the 60s! What I don’t want to admit is that’s 60 years ago! And I remember it. Ouch! And today is still only slightly more than 100 years since women gained the right to vote. Before that women were considered at best second class citizens, considered outcasts— outcasts— in their own nation. Double ouch!

One more story about Vinny. At one point he was in Rome, second in command of the Jesuit order, the only American to have ever held that post.

Now, the Superior General of the Jesuits, the chief big-wig is, like the Pope, a lifetime appointment. When Vinny’s boss, Pedro Arrupe, a Spanish Jesuit, was disabled by a stroke Vinny ran the order. But Arrupe was not dead, just incapacitated.

Eventually John Paul II stepped in because the Pontiff was not comfortable with an American running the Jesuits and made an unprecedented move by appointing someone else to run the order until Arrupe died. Vinny was sent back to America.

It’s well known John Paul had issues with Americans. In short, the Pope thought of Americans as outcasts. I happen to know all this because I was still in touch with Vinny when all that happened.

My life is very different today. But I still read Jesuit authors. One Jesuit whose writings I follow is James Martin, S.J.

In a recent article Martin wrote this ‘God meets you where you are…. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect before we can approach God or before God approaches us. Your spiritual house doesn’t have to be perfectly in order for God to enter.’

‘…God meets you in ways… you can understand, appreciate. The more scholarly or introverted… may meet God… through reading a book. …a more social person may meet God in a group setting. If you love nature you may meet God by the seashore.’— the thoughts of James Martin, S.J. [1]

And, I know— given the history of the Reformation and Jesuit involvement in the Counter-Reformation, it was downright audacious of me to quote and talk about Jesuits on Reformation Sunday. (Slight pause.)

These are the words in the work known as Mark: “Jesus replied, ‘Go. Your faith has saved you.’ And immediately Bartimaeus received the gift of sight and began to follow Jesus along the road.” (Slight pause.)

This is clear throughout the Gospels, all the Gospels. But it is especially clear in Mark. Jesus is sent to and has a ministry with the outcast.

Bartimaeus is outcast. If someone was blind in this era, being an outcast was a given. If someone needed to beg to sustain themselves, being an outcast was a given.

And Bartimaeus is only one of many outcasts in Mark. The Gospel is riddled with the outcast received by or empowered by Jesus.

The Syrophoenician woman, the blind person at Bethsaida, the little children and finally Bartimaeus are among all those considered outcast in this era and among all those in this Gospel considered outcast— all people perceived by society as powerless, as outcasts. And all these take a prominent place in the economy of God’s order. (Slight pause.)

Over time you may have noticed that my sermons have titles. Let me mention today’s title: Faith and Belief. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned a title of a sermon in this pulpit.

What is the difference between faith and belief? I think the word belief implies a list, a set of premises to which one asserts, as in asking the question ‘what do you believe?’

Faith, on the other hand, does not ask for a list. Faith implies a relationship. In that faith implies relationship, faith does not just imply trust. Faith insists on trust.

Having faith means trusting someone. Indeed, when it comes to faith, there is a name we give to that someone we trust: God. Having faith means trusting God, trusting God is real, trusting God is present to us, trusting God is there for us.

When Jesus tells Bartimaeus, “Go. Your faith has saved you” what is really being said is Bartimaeus, an outcast, has exhibited trust. As an outcast Bartimaeus is not an acceptable member of society. Yet Bartimaeus, the outcast, trusts God.

I think Bartimaeus knows trust is about relationship, not about a list of premises, rules. It’s not about what you have. Bartimaeus, the outcast, knows when one trusts God, one is in a true relationship with God. (Slight pause.)

Well, the next time someone asks what you believe as a Christian— and that question does get asked— the next time someone asks what you believe as a Christian please confuse them with your answer. Tell them you trust God; that’s what you believe.

Society, you see, dictates all kinds of people are outcasts. Just 100 years ago it was women. And yes, with sexism, class-ism, racism and a whole bunch of other isms society insists that a plethora of people need to be among the outcast.

When it comes to those I personally knew, the Berrigans were outcasts. My Uncle Vinny was an outcast, each of them in different ways. But they trusted God. I know that because of what they said to me.

So if you do tell someone what you believe is that you trust God, you should probably be very, very careful when offering that answer. After all, if you give that answer you’ve labeled yourself as an outcast since trust in God is the answer outcasts tend to give. Amen.

10/27/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “On occasion, even in the Congregational tradition, we use an affirmation of faith, a creed, we recite a creed. The classic one is The Nicene Creed. When a congregation recites it, the creed sounds like a list of beliefs. It is not. In the original language of that Creed, Latin, the word we translate as ‘I believe’ is Credo. An accurate translation of the word Credo is not ‘I believe.’ An accurate translation of the word is ‘I give my heart to…’— Credo as in cardiac. The Christian faith is about giving your heart to God. The Christian faith is not about a list of doctrine or dogma.”

BENEDICTION: Go out in the strength and love God provides. Praise the deeds of God by the way you live, by the way you love. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] These words are slightly edited.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/10/21/god-meets-you-where-you-are-and-why-that-can-sound-threatening/