St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church

Rev. Gary Paterson

June 6, 2010

We have spent the past two weeks celebrating Pentecost; the Spirit coming to us as the breath of Christ, and then, as blaze of fire and a wonder of wind, the Spirit of Jesus sweeping into and through his followers – and behold, two thousand years ago, a church was born. How appropriate, today, to celebrate once again the work of that same Spirit, as we mark the 85th anniversary of the birth of the United Church of Canada, and, at the same time, rejoice in the 77th anniversary of this congregation, St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church.

Eighty-five years, a long time to look back and ponder, to remember how, on June 10, 1925, in the Mutual Street Arena of Toronto (a hockey arena, no less, the only building large enough to welcome the crowd) Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists came together to create a new denomination, the United Church of Canada. It took a lot of committee work – endless discussion, negotiation and compromise, planning and decision-making, all guided, I believe by the Spirit that was working towards an embodiment of Jesus’ prayerful plea recorded in John 17 … the gospel that was read, incidentally at that first United Church worship – “that all may be one.”

The creation of the United Church was one of the fruits of a world-wide ecumenical movement, that was, in part, a response to the First World War, a search for ways for people of faith to talk to each other, to discover what they had in common, instead of emphasizing theirr differences. Indeed, it was the first instance of denominations, churches coming together, uniting as one; we were much more familiar with splits, and splintering. But here was something completely different… and wonderful. The creation of the United Church was a “first,” but fortunately it was just a beginning, and soon there “United” or “Uniting” churches in Australia, New Zealand, southern India, Zambia; and even south of the border, with the United Church of Christ. We took a first step – and the Spirit kept moving.

The United Church is a tiny denomination in the larger world of Christendom – a few million members in a faith that numbers close to two billion people – what is that; something like 1 or 2 %? But it has had a significant influence on the larger body of Christendom, out of proportion, I think, to its numbers. That influence is seen in a variety of different ways.

Perhaps because of the very nature of the diverse Canadian population, or more likely because of its very foundation, and the need to incorporate so many different interpretations of the faith, the United Church has tried to model what it might mean to be… well, I hesitate to use a politically correct term… but in this case it’s true… an inclusive community. For instance, we were one of the first denominations to ordain women… good ol’ Lydia Gruchy in Saskatchewan, 1936. Mind you, it took many years for us to comprehend all that that would mean, but nevertheless, by 1980 we had elected Lois Wilson as our first woman Moderator, as national leader of the United Church. In the sixties, we wrestled with the differing roles of clergy and lay people, and challenged the notion that ordained ministers were more special, more holy, should have more power, and in 1968 we elected our first lay person to be the Moderator, Dr. Bob McLure. In the 1980’s we bravely waded into the challenge of welcoming gay and lesbian people, and in 1988 were one of the first denominations in the world to declare that “in and of itself sexual orientation was no barrier to full membership in the Church.” I’ve had many Anglican friends grimace in envy, wishing that that struggle was behind them. And then, for the last twenty years, the Spirit has been inviting us to expand beyond being primarily a white, European church, and to understand ourselves as an intercultural family of faith. In 1974 Wilbur Howard was our first black Moderator; 1988, Sang Chul Lee, the first Korean; and in 1992, Stan McKay, our first Aboriginal Moderator.

Mind you, Stan’s election was also a reminder of how we had, in earlier years, so badly failed First Nations peoples; we were definitely not inclusive as we confused gospel and culture, as our missionary efforts to the people who had lived in this land for thousands of years brought terrible hurt and destruction. In 1986 we offered a formal apology, and then had to discover how to live into that apology. And when the dark side of the Residential School System was exposed, we had to look more deeply at ourselves, admitting that while our intentions might have been good, the end result was horrific. Not just apology, but deep repentance was called for, and then, the hard work of restitution and reconciliation, a process in which we are still very much involved.

We are also known as a denomination that values open thinking. Bless those Congregationalists who knew that the mystery of God could never finally or ultimately be wrapped up in a Creed or a Confession of Faith -- there was room in this new denomination to breathe, theologically. The so-called “New Curriculum” that emerged in the sixties was a sign of that openness, marking the first time that all adults were invited into Biblical studies that were rooted in the historical and critical work that had been current among clergy during the last several decades, but hadn’t made it out to the pews. Now everyone had a chance to think seriously and in an adult way about their faith. In 1968 we put together “The New Creed,” which we will be sharing together in just a few minutes; you’d be surprised how this statement of faith has traveled around the world, has become a gift for many other churches. And, if you had any doubt about the United Church’s determination to keep working away at new, open ways to express our faith, I invite you to get a hold of our most recent theological statement, “A Song of Faith.” I’m biased, I know, but…. but it’s clear that we remain a church that is determined to find new language that presents the gospel in a fresh way, in our own time and culture. It’s exciting!

Mind you, sometimes this can come close to being “overdone strength,” where we become overly influenced by our culture, so determined to be current and relevant that we lose sight of our identity. We have been called the NDP at prayer, and some people believe that “anything goes” with the United Church. It’s our challenge, to be open and progressive, but not to lose sight of who we are as a Christian faith community. How to combine tradition and the new? What is our core identity?

We are also known as a denomination that works for justice… perhaps a key expression of our Methodist roots. You’ve lonely to look at the long history of First United in the Downtown Eastside to recognize our commitment to standing with the poor and the marginalized. And I remember the heady days of the seventies, when it seemed there was a task force on just about everything – on Corporate Responsibility, where United Church folk kept turning up at shareholders meetings, demanding ethical accountability; a task force on Central America, and our involvement in the struggles in Nicaragua and El Salvador; and, more locally, on Uranium mining in B.C. We need to give the United Church a fair bit of credit for there not being extensive uranium mining in this province. More recently, we have been on the front lines of struggling for a just resolution of First Nations land claims, and for a just response to responding to the legacy of the Residential Schools.

Mind you, sometimes we have become so busy doing the right thing, that we forget why we’re doing it. We can be too reluctant to talk about our faith, and how that undergirds and shapes what we are about.

You might have noticed that the three characteristics of the United Church that I have highlighted, that I think define who we are, just happen to also be part of the vision statement that we as a congregation have affirmed as central to our identity and calling. Remember? -- we are a faith community that is passionate about our faith – it makes a difference in our lives and in the world; we are an inclusive community, where there is a welcome for everyone; we are a progressive community, where thinking about our faith is important, where we take the Bible seriously, but not literally, where questions are encourages; and we are a community that works for justice in the community and the world – these days, with an emphasis on Homelessness and Guatemala, among other concerns.

That feels like a powerful thing to affirm as we celebrate St. Andrew’s-Wesley’s 77th anniversary, as we look back and remember St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, built in 1890 at the corner of Georgian and Richards; and Wesley Methodist, built in 1901, kitty-corner to Christ Church cathedral, just down the street at Burrard and Georgia. Those two congregations began their long dance towards hoped-for union, with committee meetings in 1924, and finally in 1927, they became engaged, decided to join their lives together and form a new congregation within the United Church of Canada. Of course, like any newly married couple, they needed to decide whose home they were going to live in; they wisely decided that something brand new was the only way to go, and so at the end of May, 1933, the inaugural service of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church was celebrated… two thousand people squeezed into this sanctuary, with many more turned away. What a celebration of the Spirit’s movement!

Now, the purpose of an anniversary is to look back in time, to remember what has been, the gifts offered, the ministry expressed; a time to give thanks and offer gratitude. It is also an opportunity to look towards the future, to dream and hope, and to pay attention to the present promptings of the Spirit. Where and how is God calling St. Andrew’s-Wesley into the 21st century? But this presents a dilemma, because the future for the United Church of Canada is challenging and disturbing. Like all mainline denominations, in an increasingly secular, “spiritual but not religious” culture, we are experiencing a serious decline – membership is aging and shrinking; finances are crunching; congregations are closing and amalgamating. A friend of mine, who is retiring from ministry this year, has taken a hard, honest look at our denominational statistics, and suggests that in the next ten years, half of the congregations within the United Church will have closed their doors, and be no more. I realized that this could be a real downer of a sermon, full of gloom and doom. But perhaps a frank recognition of our present reality presents an opportunity for fresh discernment, and more openness to a new gospel word. Which brings me to today’s Gospel reading -- which, thanks to the translation offered by Eugene Peterson in The Message, comes to us with a blunt freshness.

Maybe the first thing to point out is that Jesus is clear that the harvest is huge. It may be true that attendance at church is declining, but it doesn’t mean that people aren’t hungry. The “spiritual but not religious” folk are still wrestling with the deep questions of meaning and direction, still yearning for challenge and comfort. We just have to discover how to be with them in that journey.

Which is why Jesus says that there is a great need for workers, people who are willing to go out into the fields, and figure out how to do what is needed. Labourers – and I have enough of a farm memory in my bones, from picking strawberries all day long out in Richmond to earn pocket money, to pitching bales in the family fields when the Vancouver sun is willing to shine, to know what he’s talking about..

And who might those workers be? Well, that’s what makes this Bible passage so interesting. According to Luke, Jesus first sends out the twelve disciples; but then, in the following chapter, the one we heard today, Jesus sends out the seventy. The seventy, you say? Who the heck are they? Well, we haven’t got a clue, really… not their names, not what they looked like, their background, skills, education, resources. No, just ordinary men and women… yeah, it’s pretty clear there would have been women in that group. People who had been caught by the vision of life that Jesus was proclaiming, who were excited enough about it, about him, really, that they were willing to go out to the surrounding villages and towns, filled with a hope and passion, with a dream of God’s love and grace, touched by Jesus’ conviction, and filled with the same spirit that seemed to enliven him. People, frankly, just like you and me. Ordinary, caught by a vision, moved by the Spirit.

And they went OUT… that’s what the word “apostle” means … to be sent out. To be with people where they were living their ordinary, everyday lives. That’s where the harvest was. Not in the synagogues; not in the churches. The purpose of their going out was not to convince the young people to come back to church, but to be with them where they were. That’s where the ministry was happening.

Jesus had some instructions for them. Lots of suggestions, actually. But one of the key things is that they were to eat with the people they connected with – to accept their gifts, to discover the intimacy that comes when people share a meal together. Something so simple, so basic… so spirit-filled. Hospitality offered and received; a two-way street. Maybe as simple as having a cup of coffee together down at the local Starbucks; maybe a burger at MacDonalds, the Whitespot; maybe a meal in their favourite little restaurant, or in their home, or in your home. When you’re sharing a meal together, something happens…. that’s the moment, says Jesus, when perhaps some words of hope and faith might be offered, shared. Good news… not criticism; not threats; not guilt, fear, duty, obligation… but some way of making grace real. It results in healing, says Jesus. Not “Zap; you’re better; you’re saved” – but rather a conversation and a discovery of what it means to be whole, feel right within yourself. If we were to use fancy church language, we might say “The Kingdom of God is at your doorstep.” -- but maybe the real challenge, the hard work, is to discover different ways of saying that, of figuring out what it might look like, here and now, in Vancouver of all places. I’m just saying….

It’s not going to be easy. Jesus was clear about that. There are going to be lots of households who will think you’re strange, who ask you to leave… and not always politely. Indeed, a member of our community shared with me one of those awkward moments. Do you remember how everyone received two pamphlets just before Easter, that described all the worship opportunities that were being offered during Holy Week, with the invitation to offer one of them to a friend, a way of opening up a conversation about faith, church, Easter, questions….? Well, I know a lot of those pamphlets ended up in the recycling box in the church lobby; that’s okay. But at least one person decided to act on the invitation. She had a friend at her office, someone who was new to Vancouver, who was feeling a bit lost. So she popped the pamphlet into an envelope, put it on her friend’s desk, and then whipped off an email – “to be read before you open the envelope”… an email that explained the invitation. Well, her friend reacted with surprise, discomfort, alarm, saying something like, “No way… whatever gave you that idea... I’m totally taken aback.” Indeed, said friend shared that she couldn’t even throw the pamphlet in the garbage in case someone saw it and thought she was strange, weird… god forbid… religious!!! Ouch… it isn’t easy. Jesus knew that… very personally, no?

I don’t have answers; I’m just asking some anniversary questions! What is a church for? What are we being called to do and be? What might it mean to be sent out? I don’t want to arrive at answers too quickly; sometimes it’s better to live with the questions, even suffer the questions, as one of my friends used to say. I think we are called to trust, to be faithful, to listen… and to remember that God is Lord of the harvest. And we are not alone; God is with us, is with St. Andrew’s-Wesley, and the United Church, in the midst of anniversaries, in the midst of our joys and celebrations, in the midst of our worries and challenges. Thanks be to God.