I Pledge Allegiance

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Non-LectionaryLeave a comment

Romans 13:1-10 NRSV

On the day after our country’s 239th birthday, and in light of the recent events that have gripped our nation, I want to add my voice to the voices of preachers across our land who are faithfully proclaiming, even in the face of persecution, that the United States of America is in deep spiritual trouble.

As the prophets warned Israel, we have turned our hearts away from God to follow our own selfish desires. We have replaced the law of God created for God’s divine purposes and for our eternal good with the law of human beings created for our own wicked purposes and temporary pleasures.

Some argue that the law of God is out of date and out of touch with reality. They say it was written for another time, another place, another people.

Others argue that the law of God is too complicated, open to too many interpretations, to be the law of any land.

And others have the gall to pick and choose, to change and to twist the law of God to support their self-centered, self-seeking perversions.

And preachers are just as guilty.

Ashamed of the gospel, we have separated our faith from our politics. Afraid of offending someone, we have been reluctant to call evil “evil” and sin “a sin.” We have been far too complacent, way too silent, all in the name of the false god of tolerance.

And using the excuse of Separation of Church and State, we have spoken far too little from our pulpits about the need for our nation to be governed, not by the will of the people, not by the law of the Supreme Court, but by the law of the Supreme Being.

So, on this Independence Day weekend, I want to join my voice with preachers all over this great land and proclaim that it is high time faithful Christians wake up and rise up to stand up for the law of God.

When I was growing up, I was taught that it was not only my civic duty, but it was my Christian duty to pledge my allegiance to the flag of United States of America. Since then, I have learned that some Christians do not believe in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Some believe saying the Pledge is disobedience to Christ who said we should not “swear by an oath.” Others believe that we should pledge our allegiance to God and only to God. And some argue that the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge for reasons of religious liberty.

But in light of current events, I believe it may be time for us to recommit ourselves to this pledge, especially saying it with the words, “under God.” Here’s why…

I

In America, I, as an individual, have certain inalienable rights. As an individual citizen of this country, I have freedom. And with that freedom, comes great responsibility. Each one of us has a voice, has a vote, and has the responsibility to make this country the very best that it can be.

Pledge allegiance

The prophets of the Old Testament and the disciples of the New Testament who were imprisoned by the Roman government for disobeying human laws teach us that our allegiance is not blind. Our allegiance does not mean blindly accepting our faults, never questioning our past, and never second-guessing how current policies will affect our future. Allegiance means faithfully doing our part to “mend thine every flaw.”

It means being loyal, law-abiding citizens committed to our civic duty of voting in elections. However, it also means voicing opposition to laws that need to be changed and to elected officials who need be corrected. Civil allegiance sometimes means civil disobedience.

Like a faithful marriage, pledging allegiance means being loyal to our country in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, never giving up, never becoming complacent, never running away. It means perpetually praying for it, continually correcting it, forever fighting for it.

To the flag of the United States of America

Yes, we pledge our allegiance to the flag. As a child, I remember questioning this, uttering to myself: “It’s just a flag. It’s merely a piece of cloth with a design that someone has sewn together and run up a pole.” But, of course, I soon learned that the flag is much more than that.

And to the Republic for which it stands

The flag is not a mere sign for our country. It is the profound symbol of our country. Signs are limited as signs only give information. Signs do not have the power to stand for something. Only symbols can do that. Whereas signs invoke intellectual responses from the brain, symbols elicit visceral emotions from the heart and gut. For the Christian, the Stars and Stripes is to our country what the cross is to our faith. This is the reason that the Confederate Battle Flag is so controversial. The flag is not a mere historical marker, label, design or brand but a powerful symbol that stands for something. Flags have the power to move us, stir us, and guide us.

One nation

Although heritage and culture are important aspects of life in different parts of our country, they are never more important than the unity of our country. Jesus spoke truth when he said that “a house divided against its self cannot stand.”

Under God

For me, this is the most important part of the pledge. I could not and would not say the Pledge without it.

Not under God because we are down here and God is up there. Not under God because we want some sort of theocracy like ISIS and other Islamic extremists. And not under God because we believe we were established to be a Christian nation like some Christian extremists.

Rather, as Christians, we pledge our allegiance to country under, after, second to, our allegiance to the law of God.

This is why our allegiance is not blind. As Christians, the Commander-in-Chief is not our chief commander. The Supreme Court is not our supreme being. Our allegiance is first pledged to something that is bigger than our nation, even larger than our world.

It is an allegiance that informs our vote, rallies our civic duties, admonishes our obedience to civil law, and yet, sometimes calls us to civil disobedience. For the Christian, it is the God revealed through the words and works of Jesus who becomes our civil conscience. We believe the law of God revealed through Christ supersedes every human law.

And, no matter what anyone says, this law is simple, and it is quite clear.

Immediately following words from the Apostle Paul regarding good citizenship and obeying the law, we read that every one of God’s laws is summed up in just one law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said it this way: “On this hang all of the laws of the prophets “…that you love your neighbor as yourself.”

And just in case some are still confused to what “love” is, Paul defines love by saying: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.”

This is the law of God. This law is not complicated, and this law is not open to interpretation. This law is not outdated or obsolete. And this law is in no way trivial. In fact, Jesus said, “There is no law greater.” It is as if Christ is saying, “If you don’t get anything else from Holy Scripture, you need to get this: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” Yet, as evidenced by the amount of hatred, racism and violence that is in our nation today, even in the church, this supreme law is widely ignored, disobeyed or rejected all together.

I believe it is when we first pledge our allegiance to this supreme law, that we have the opportunity to be a great nation. For when we love our neighbors as ourselves, when in everything we do to others as we would have them do to us, it quickly becomes “self-evident that all people are created equal with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Indivisible

When we pledge allegiance to the supreme law of God, when we pledge to love our neighbors as ourselves, we promise to work together under God to build bridges to overcome the gaps and barriers that we have created that divide us: racial, sexual, ethnic, political, economic, educational and religious. We pledge to come together, side by side, hand in hand, for the equality and the inalienable rights of all people.

This does not mean that we are to never disagree with the beliefs or lifestyles of others. We can certainly love our neighbor while disagreeing with our neighbor. It is not hating our neighbor when we disagree with the flag that our neighbor flies; however, when we infringe on their life, their liberty, and their pursuit of happiness by supporting public policies or actions that treat them as second-class citizens, that do harm to our neighbor, it is certainly not loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. As our president said in the eulogy of Rev. Clementa Pinckney: “…justice grows out of recognition of ourselves in each other. [Our] liberty depends on [our neighbors] being free, too.”

With liberty and justice for all.

We pledge to work for freedom and fairness not just for our educated, rich neighbor who can afford the best attorneys, and not just for our advantaged, abled-bodied and able-minded straight, white, Christian, English-speaking neighbors. We pledge ourselves to stand for liberty and justice for all. And according to the Christian faith, all especially includes the minorities, the poor, the disabled, the marginalized and the foreigner.

All even includes people of every nation. That’s why we are planning yet another trip to Nicaragua. For our love, our faith, our mission to stand for liberty and justice has no borders.

For the Christian who pledges their allegiance first to the Christ who loved all and died for all, all truly means all.

This past week, someone raised the following question on facebook, and to avoid being obscene, I am going to paraphrase: “They only represent 2% of the population. Why do they matter?”

This was not just one lone, ugly, hateful voice, but one that was representative of the sentiment many of my facebook friends who call themselves “Christian.”

“They only make up 2% of the population. Why do they matter?”

Like I said, this nation is in deep spiritual trouble.

For the Christian who pledges his or her allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all: Gay lives matter; Black lives matter; because according to everything for which this flag stands under the supreme law of God, all lives will never matter until all means all.

Seeing the Flag

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Short ArticlesLeave a comment

confederate

Raised in the rural South and as a big Dukes of Hazzard fan, I grew up loving the Condederate Battle Flag. I was proud to be from the South and proud to be a country boy. The flag represented that pride for me.

I believe in free speech and would die for everyone’s right to proudly fly the Confederate Battle Flag on their personal property if they so choose. I do not believe that flying or displaying the flag makes one a racist any more than I believe that not flying it makes one not a racist.

As a white southerner, when I see the Confederate Battle Flag, I may see Southern history. I have the capacity to see Southern pride and heritage. I can see brave men a ho fought for and gave their lives for their homeland. That is what I see.

I think it is interesting that Jesus talked an awful lot about “seeing.” In fact, he talked more about blindness than he talked about sin. He was constantly asking his disciples: “Do you not see?” “Do you have eyes and fail to see.” Furthermore, it is obvious that when Jesus gives sight to the blind, he is symbolically giving sight to others, especially the religious folks of his day.

In the light of the tragedy in Charleston, I now see the flag differently. With many others, I believe I now see the flag more clearly, more wholly, and more honestly, as I now see it through the eyes of those who were murdered in that church. 

Since the tragedy, I have been reminded how the flag has been used and abused by hate groups, mainly by people who long to go back to the day when “black people knew their place.” l realize that the flag now has meanings that it was never intended to have. I also am reminded why the flag was raised at the South Carolina Capitol in the first place: as a symbol of opposition to the civil rights movement.

I also understand that it is a symbol. It is not a sign. It is not a historical marker. Unlike signs, symbols have a particular power to excite and to elicit. Unlike signs that give information invoking a response in the brain, symbols stand for something invoking visceral emotions in the heart and gut. So when I see the flag through the eyes of the victims in Charleston, I can understand the consternation that most of our African-Americans citizens have in the South when they see it. Seeing it on a bumper sticker, t-shirt, or flying in someone’s yard is one thing; seeing it flying by the government or endorsed on a license plate issued by the government that should be working for liberty and justice for all is quite another thing, especially if that government has a history of oppression.

As a Christian, I believe in the words of Jesus, “love one another as I have loved you” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” I believe we do that best by trying to put ourselves in the shoes of others, when we try to see the world through the eyes of others, especially through the eyes of the oppressed, the poor, the marginalized, the disadvantaged, the least of these our brothers and sisters.

And it is a shame that it took the slayings of nine people to help me see that.

Charleston Wake-Up Call: Five Thoughts

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Short Articles3 Comments

dylann roofI have heard many people call the massacre in Charleston a wake-up call for our country. I believe it is specifically a wake-up call for predominately white churches in our country. As a pastor of a predominately white church in the South, here are five thoughts that have been awakened in me:

  1. We must wake up to the reality that racism is not only a wound from our country’s past, but it is a deadly virus that still plagues us today. White preachers, including myself, have been often afraid to use the “r-word” from our pulpits for fear of “stirring things up,” as if we might reignite some fire that was put out in the 1960’s, or at least by 2008, when we elected our first black president. We must wake up and boldly preach against racism, in all of its current manifestations that are ablaze today: personal racism; systemic racism; and the subtle racism that is prevalent in the workplace, in the marketplace and even in the church, for Jesus could not have been more clear when he said: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
  2. We must wake up to the reality that preaching and working against racism is not “being political,” but it is being “Christian.” When voting districts are re-drawn to limit poor black votes or when laws are created that make it more difficult for poor black people to vote, we must stand up and boldly proclaim the message of Jesus who came to announce “good news to the poor.”
  3. We must wake up to the reality that hatred in this country is being defended by church folks who are calling it “religious freedom.” In the United States of America, where we believe all people are created equally, religious freedom never means the freedom to discriminate. Slave-owners used the same religious-freedom arguments in the nineteenth century to support slavery. Today, we do not tolerate people who want to own slaves, nor should we tolerate anyone or respect the views if anyone who wants to discriminate.
  4. We must wake up the reality that “the oppression of Christians” in this nation and the “war on Christmas” that we hear about every December has been manufactured by folks who loathe what makes our country great, that is our cultural, ethnic, religious and racial diversity. We need to also preach from our pulpits that it is this diversity that makes us look most like the portrait of heaven we find in the book of Revelation: “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (7:9). We must wake up to boldly voice our opposition to the purveyors of fear who are calling on people to bear even more arms “to take our country back.” Furthermore, we must wake up and tell the folks in our pews to please shut up, when they start reminiscing about going back to the good old days of the 1950’s when we had prayer in school. We need to be able to say: “You know, I have many black friends, and I have never once heard them talk about wanting to go back to 1950.”
  5. We must wake up to the reality that the most segregated hours in our country occur on Sunday mornings. We must find ways to build bridges to bridge the gaps that we have created that prevent us from worshipping and serving together. To stand against racism, hatred and violence, to stand for social justice and equality for all, and to persuasively speak truth to power, we must do it side by side, hand in hand, as one body, one Church, serving one Lord.

Prayer for Emanuel AME Church and the Global Church

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Short ArticlesLeave a comment

names charleston

The following prayer is a response to a joint pastoral letter from the Disciples of Christ in SC and NC written for a prayer vigil held at the Mt Moriah Community Church in Farmville, 9 am, June 20, 2015.

Good and gracious God, Father and Mother of us all,

Hearts shattered, souls lamenting, bodies languishing, and minds enraged,

We gather together with our members of our family of faith here in Farmville to grieve alongside our sisters and brothers in Charleston, praying that they will know a peace that is beyond understanding. May those who have lost loved ones be comforted knowing that you are suffering with them, and so are we.

We gather to support the leaders and the members of the Emanuel AME Church, praying that they will be led by your wisdom, endowed by your love and empowered by your courage to continue to live selflessly boldly proclaiming good news to the poor, freedom to the imprisoned and recovery of sight to the blind, setting free all who are oppressed.

We gather to stand with the leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Denomination, praying that they will persist and prevail courageously ministering to the social, spiritual and physical development of all people.

We gather in prayer for all African American churches who worship, serve and love their neighbors under the constant threat of persecution by the demonic forces of our time. May they be emboldened by remembering the words of their Lord and Savior and rejoice and be glad, for great is their reward in heaven, for in the same way the prophets were persecuted before them.

We gather to pray for the city of Charleston, the political leaders of our cities, states and country, and for the Body of Christ spread throughout our land. We pray for boldness in naming the sin of racism in our lives, our church and our country. We pray for fortitude in confronting racism, in all of its manifestations. And we pray for courage in confronting hatred and violence in all of its manifestations.

And we also gather this day O God to pray for the Body of Christ here in our own community. Forgive our division. Forgive our segregation. Forgive the barriers we have erected: racial, ethnic, and socio-economic. Forgive the chasm of fear that we have created. Forgive our failure to build bridges between the churches here in our own town. Forgive our failure to come together in the name of Christ, one body following one Lord, to stand for justice and equity for all of our citizens. Forgive us of our failure to truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Forgive us, O God, and envelop us with your grace. Grant us your guidance, will and determination to follow the Christ together in the steps that he is leading us next. It is in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord who unites us all we pray, Amen.

Don’t Feel Sorry for Donna Mosley

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Memorials2 Comments

donna mosley

In Memory of Donna Marie Mosley

Matthew 5:1-9 NRSV

Perhaps the worst thing we can do on this day is to do what we instinctively believe we should do; do the thing that comes most naturally for us today. One of the worst things we can do is put what we have been doing these last few days, and possibly doing throughout Donna’s life, into some sort of formal expression. I believe that the worst thing we can do today is to feel sorry for Donna.

Born nearly blind and with cerebral palsy, to say that Donna struggled throughout her life would be an understatement. But if you ever asked Donna if she thought people should ever feel sorry for her, she’d shake her head and emphatically say, “Naaw!”

But, against her wishes, that is exactly what we are inclined to do. Oh, poor, poor, poor Donna. Born with disability, she struggled to finish high school and attend Pitt Community College, only to never have a career, an IRA or own a 401-k.

Poor, poor, poor Donna. She never got married. She never knew the joy of parenthood. She was to never be a grandparent.

Poor Donna. She never really lived on her own, never owned her own home, never possessed her own car. She was never self-supporting, self-sufficient.

Pitiful Donna. She suffered with so many chronic health problems; she was never able to be physically active. She never hiked a mountain, swam in a river, cycled in the country or ran a 5k.

Oh, poor, pitiful Donna. She suffered so much loss in her life: the tragic death of a father, the untimely death of a mother, and just recently, the slow and painful death of her beloved brother, Albert.

Poor, poor Donna. She suffered so much these past few years and even more these past few months, and she died, so young, just days shy of just her 54th birthday.

This is our natural inclination: to pity Donna, to sympathize with Donna. Because according to the world’s standards of success, Donna simply did not measure up. But if you ever asked Donna how she was doing, even in her final hours when she was barely able to say a word, Donna would always respond: “Doing good.”

I would visit her during these last few months confined to a bed, her body unable to absorb any nutrients or electrolytes, on oxygen, broke out with a rash from her medication, and immediately after she told me she was “doing good,” she would ask: “How’s the preacher? How’s Carson and Sara? What is Ms. Lori up to?” Just like her beloved brother Albert, I never once heard Donna utter a single complaint, regret, or resentment.

“Donna, should anyone feel sorry for you?”

“Naaw! Don’t feel sorry for me. I have had a great life. Yes, I was born with disabilities, I have had my share of struggles, maybe more than my share, but I was born into a family and into a community that gave me everything I ever needed and wanted.

Yes, I was born with disabilities, but ask anyone who remembers me as a child, walking all over this town, even with cast on my leg! Yes, I was born with poor vision, but if I hadn’t been, the Lion’s Club would have never given me my dog Brandy who traveled to New York City with me.

No, I never had a lucrative career, but I was able to finish school, even go to college and work a little. I was able to fulfill a dream of teaching in a classroom. I was able to work some in the public library and even able to help out Bro in Avon on the fishing pier. And no, I have never had any money. But the good things in life, the truly important things in life, do not come with a price tag.

No, I never got married, never had children, but I have had many priceless relationships. Because of my friends and family, I have never felt unloved or unwanted. Because of these relationships, I have never once doubted that any of my needs would not be met. And, seriously preacher, who can really ask for anything more?

I never owned a car, but I went anywhere I wanted to go. I have never been able to run like you Jarrett, climb a mountain, or swim in the sea, but I bet I have been to more concerts and met more famous people than you. I think it surprised my nieces when some of the members of the Cravin’ Melon group called me by name and spoke to me at that Michael Jordan golf tournament!

I have been so many places, met so many people, some of them quite famous, from NASCAR and golf celebrities to Coach Dean Smith.

And yes, I have experienced loss, even tragic loss. But I have always had a strong faith and certain hope that I would see my loved ones again. My faith and hope was so strong when my daddy died, I was somehow able to console my brothers and sisters. You can ask Puddin’ about that.

I think that is why I always loved the song, ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ by the Band of Oz. I have always believed in a land and a life that is better than this one: One where the skies are always Carolina blue and all of your dreams come true.

And, although I may not have been ready to leave all of you so soon, I think this is why when Dan asked me on the phone in the hospital early this week how I was doing, although I could barely breathe and could hardly talk, I said, “Doing good.”

So, please whatever you do, even if you are attending my funeral, please do not feel sorry for me.”

I believe Donna Marie Mosley was a living testimony of Jesus’ first recorded sermon. Whereas some may look at her short life of struggle and draw the conclusion that she should be pitied, because she didn’t appear blessed or favored by God like some, in reality, as Jesus reminded us in the Sermon on the Mount, God looked upon Donna with favor, and truly blessed her in ways that few of us here have been blessed. And I believe this is the real reason that no matter her circumstance, no matter how bad she felt, or how hard it was for her to breathe, she said: “I’m doing good!” Jesus said:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Whereas we may look at those with whose spirits are allowed to soar to achieve success as the world defines it as blessed and favored by God, the reality is that God looks with favor and blesses not those who are born with perfect bodies, 20/20 vision, and silver spoons, but those whose spirits have many challenges and obstacles. And notice that Jesus uses the present tense. Not they will be blessed. Not might be blessed. They are, right now, right here, on this earth blessed. And their future is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Whereas we may look at those who have not suffered the tragic or untimely loss of loved ones as blessed and favored by God, the reality is that God favors and blesses the mourners who have experienced great loss, and God promises them comfort. This is the only explanation how Donna was such a comfort to so many of us during our times of grief.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The meek and the gentle are favored. Not the strong. Not the ones with the physical strength or the confidence to overcome all sorts of adversity and make it to the top. Blessed are the ones who have never made it to the top, never conquered anything, not even their own fears. Blessed are the ones who are dependent on the love and support of others. For it is the weak, the disabled, says Jesus, not the strong, who survive and inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.

Not the ones who are righteous, but the ones on whose behalf the prophet Amos preached: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). Blessed are the ones who thirst for justice. These are the ones, like the mentally and physically disabled, who have been unjustly judged, mistreated, shunned and even bullied by society. These are the ones society looks upon and says that they haven’t quite measured up. Jesus says that they are blessed. Jesus says that they are the ones who will not only have their thirsts quenched, but they will be filled, their cups overflowing.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed, says Jesus, are the ones who are always putting the needs and welfare of others ahead of their own. Blessed are the ones who are suffering, yet when you ask them how they are doing, they immediately ask you how you and your family are doing. Blessed are the ones whose hearts are full of mercy and compassion, for God will give them mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are those who have the heart of a child: Those who see only the good in others; those who, even in their sufferings, have no bitterness, no complaints, and no resentments. Blessed are the ones who see not only their misfortunes, but see all of their blessings, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Not the ones who have necessarily found the world’s peace for themselves, not the self-sufficient, the self-reliant, not the ones who own their own mortgages, have secured their own peace and security through material wealth and assets, but those who seek God’s peace, because they will find a home, a place of security, a place of rest and a place of peace that is beyond all understanding.

No, whatever you do this day, however you mourn, wherever you hurt, whenever your cry, whatever your inclination, please do not feel sorry for Donna. Because she is doing good. She is blessed beyond measure. And because she’s doing good, because she is blessed, although we may not feel like it, so are we.

Flip-Flopping the Message

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville EnterpriseLeave a comment

flip flop

The following is an excerpt from:  Let the Children Come

Although our intentions were to share the love and grace of Christ with others, I believe the church has actually been guilty of doing the exact opposite. Simply put, with our words and our actions, we have oftentimes preached the gospel backwards, and in doing so, we have shared hate and judgment.

To share Christ with others, we often start with what is sometimes called the doctrine of original sin. Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe that all people are born into this world as sinners. I just don’t believe that is where we should begin the conversation or the sermon.

Our sermon usually has three points: 1) All people are sinners; 2) God sent Jesus to die for us; 3) If we believe this, then God will forgive us and love us as God’s children forever.

I think we should preach the same sermon, only flip-flop it and proclaim it the other way around.

I believe we should always begin with God’s love for all people. We should make our number one point that God loves us as God’s children and wants nothing more than to love us forever. The second point should be that God came through Jesus and loved us so radically, showered us with grace so extravagantly, so offensively, that people, most of them religious, nailed him to a tree. And we should make our third and final point that God did this while we were yet sinners.

Do you see the difference? Instead of preaching that all people are born on the outside of the love of God until they do something, say something, or pray something to earn forgiveness, we should preach that all people are actually born inside the love of God without doing, saying or praying a thing to earn it. Our words and actions only help them to believe this and to accept it.

Jesus put it this way: 1) For God so loved the world; 2) God gave God’s only son; 3) So that all whosoever believes may not perish by their sins but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

If we keep teaching this, continue preaching this with our words and deeds, if we keep making the church a place of extravagant grace and radical love, then, before you know it, we will start seeing the entire world differently. We will start seeing people differently. Instead of seeing people first as sinners who deserve hell, fire, and eternal damnation, we will begin to see all people first as God sees them: God’s beloved children.

If They Only Knew

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Non-LectionaryLeave a comment

If+They+Only+Knew

Psalm 139 NRSV

Andy Griffith had a home in the same neighborhood where my uncle once lived in Manteo. They met several times and had many long conversations. One day, Andy Griffith said something that surprised my uncle. He said: “I am a very private, extremely introverted person.  Everyone thinks I enjoy being in the spotlight because of my profession, but I don’t. If they only knew.”

One day, Mr. Griffith visited a produce stand in Currituck where my sister, Jenean, was working. As soon as Jenean saw him, she started running towards him, screaming: “Andy Griffith! Andy Griffith!  I just love you!” Jenean said that he acted kind of funny, like he didn’t like the attention. She said, “When he saw me running towards him, he turned around and started heading in the other direction.”  If she only knew.

“If they only knew.”

There are people who always appear confident, like they have it all together. Others look at them and wished they could be as confident. However, while they appear poised and in control, on the inside, they are falling apart, constantly tormented by feelings of insecurity, self-loathing. If they only knew.

There are others who always seem to be happy. They always greet you with a smile and always seem to have an encouraging word for you.  But on the inside they are crying. For reasons unknown, their hearts are breaking.  “If they only knew.  If they only knew how depressed I am. If they only knew how much I really hurt. Oh, if they only knew.”

There are some outside of the church who drive past our church building on the way to the grocery on Sunday mornings. They appear not to be bothered by the large number of cars parked around this building during this hour, while they mutter to themselves, “If they only knew how lonely, how left out I feel. If they only knew how much I wanted to be included, loved and accepted.”

If they only knew. Perhaps we have all said it.

If they only knew how much pain I was in.

If my family only knew how unimportant I feel.

If my parents only knew how hard I am working to please them.

If my friends only knew just how fragmented our marriage really is.

If they only knew how much debt we were in.

If people only knew how bad you treat me.

If my children only knew who much it hurts when I don’t hear from them.

If they only knew how lonely I am since losing my husband.

If she only knew how much I missed her.

If they only knew how much I loved them.

The truth is, we humans long to be known. We desperately want someone to know our feelings, our pain and our joy. We seriously want someone to truly understand us. I think that is one of the reasons that facebook has become so popular in this last decade. For it gives people an opportunity to share their feelings with the world.

However, at the same time, ironically, we are also afraid of people truly knowing us. For we all have thoughts, feelings, desires, secrets and motivations that really do not want anyone to know about. We all have secrets that we want to keep secret. “If they only knew. And I am so glad they don’t!”

However, I believe the only fear that is greater than being fully known, is the fear of someone never really knowing who we are or ever truly understanding us. In spite of all of our mistakes and flaws, I believe most of us want to be known. We want to be understood.  If they only knew.

But the sad reality is that they do not know. And what is more sad, they will probably never really know. Yes, people may say it. And they tend to say it all the time: “Oh, I know exactly what you are going through.” “Yes, believe, me I understand.” “Hey, I get it.” “Been there, done that.” But the truth is that they do not have a clue.

When someone gives me a compliment, I usually say something like, “Well, you don’t know me very well.” Or “Well, there’s a lot of things about me that you don’t know!” And it’s true.

There’s a lot of truth in that old spiritual:  “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.”

If they only knew, but nobody does, and nobody probably ever will. Nobody truly knows all that there is to know about you.

They may know your name, where you live, where you work, something about your family, but nobody knows your greatest disappointment. Nobody knows your deepest hurt. Nobody knows your greatest joy. Nobody knows your deepest fears. Nobody knows the very best thing about you that lifts you up, and nobody knows the very worst thing about you that brings you down. If they only, knew, but, sadly, they don’t.

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…”  What’s the rest of that song? Nobody knows, but Jesus.

The good news of our faith is that somebody does know. Somebody does know your greatest hurt, your greatest disappointment, your greatest fear, your greatest joy, and the greatest thing about you. The good news is that God knows everything about us.

Wait a minute!

If God knows the best thing about us, God also knows the worst that is within us. If God knows all of our feelings, God knows some of our feelings of unresolved anger and hate. God knows of the intense bitterness which often wells up within us. God knows how selfish we can be.

When someone comes up to the person who knows me better than anyone and says, “Lori, your husband is so wonderful,” guess how she usually responds?

“If you only knew.”

Maybe God knowing it all isn’t such good news after all. But that all depends on your view of God doesn’t it?

If your God is a God of wrath, a power for whom you must work hard to earn it’s favor, then the idea of a God knowing you is very bad news. However, if your God is a friend who loves you, one whose grace abounds and whose mercy has no limits, then you can rest assured that the God who knows your very worst and most scarlet sin is the one who will always love you and forever forgive you. This week, one of our church members said it best when she wrote this on facebook: “So much judgement being tossed around every day. So thankful I serve a merciful, forgiving and AWESOME God. We all would be in trouble without His mercy and grace.”

Our faith is that God loves us so much that God became one of us and died for us. And it was on the cross that God identified God’s self with every human being. The cross is the symbol that our God understands like none other. Our God truly knows us. Through Jesus, God even knows how it feels to be understood by no one, as he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” God knows the desire that is in every human heart to be known and to be loved.

The good news is that God knows our very worst, and God continues to love us. And the really good news is that God also knows our very best, the best that is within each of us, that no one else knows. Yes, we all have secrets, but not all of our secrets are bad. Some of our secrets are very good. God knows the best, the secret best that is within us all.

Many of you have deep love and affection for others that you just have not been able to communicate because of fear or embarrassment.  Many of you have very generous hearts. You would give so generously to others if you were not limited financially. Many of you would participate in countless mission projects if you were not limited by health or age. There is, in each of us, some secret, some hidden secret, some wonderful secret that has perhaps only partially been exposed to others. If they only knew.

When Robert Lois Stevenson died, one of his friends made the statement: “Robert died with a thousand stories still inside.” We are all a lot like Robert. We will die with a thousand stories still inside of us. We will die with a thousand kind words unspoken, a thousand good deeds undone, a thousand encouraging notes unwritten, a thousand feelings of compassion unacted upon, a thousand good secrets untold. If they only knew.

We will all die with a thousand good stories inside. The good news is that God knows those stories. God knows the very best inside of us that no one else knows, all of the beautiful potential, all of the wonderful promise that is inside of us.

And, more than anything, God wants to work with us to bring some of that potential and promise to life. And I believe that is one of the great purposes of the church: to help bring out the best that is in all of us; to help us build a handicap ramp for the disabled, purchase clothing for a child whose house burned, deliver meals to the elderly, raise money to provide food and shelter for the poor, plant and tend garden for the hungry, make quilts for the sick and grieving, pray for the hurting, welcome and embrace those who have been marginalized, give a voice to the voiceless, fight for justice on the behalf of minorities, plan a Vacation Bible School for children…and who knows what else we and can do? Who knows? God knows. Thanks be to God.[i]

[i] Words inspired and adapted from a sermon written by Charles Poole with the same title while he was a pastor of First Baptist Church, Macon Ga.

A Prayer for Our Graduates

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Short ArticlesLeave a comment

Source of All Life,

We are grateful for the lives of teachers, friends, leaders, and family; for all whose lives have influenced our lives, and helped to make us who we are and who we are still becoming today. May the lives that have and continue to influence these graduates inspire them to lead, to serve and to care for the lives of others, as they care for the entire creation in which the mystery of their lives have happened.

Origin of All Love,

We are grateful for the love and support of those who have cradled our past, envelop us today and promise to surround us tomorrow. May these graduates mirror this love by living lives that always bear love for others.

Supplier of All Faith,

We give you thanks for the trust and confidence that education instills in us to follow our dreams, even if it means sacrifice and taking risks, going to places that we have never been before. May this faith encourage these graduates to dream bold dreams and give them the courage to bring those dreams to life.

Giver of All Hope,

We are thankful that our best days of living, the best days of seeing the meaning of our lives through are always and forever in front of us, even when we fall or falter. May these graduates always know the immense potential, see the boundless possibilities, and recognize the unlimited promises in all of the days that are before them.

Author of All Truth,

We are thankful for what we have already learned, but also for the opportunities that lay before us to continue learning.  May these graduates continue to be seekers of truth and knowledge, and may they always use truth, not for selfish advantage, but to be advocates of truth and justice for all people.

The One Who Grew in Wisdom through Jesus of Nazareth,

Thank you for teaching us how to live and to love. Continue to teach, lead, mold, and make us all into the people you have called us to be.  Amen.

The More You Know…

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Year BLeave a comment

Buechner Blessing and Healing

John 3:1-17 NRSV

Our church has always believed very strongly in education. This one of the reasons that we have a graduate recognition Sunday.

Our church also believes it is very important to always ask questions. Our church has never been the kind of church that expects its members to “check their brain at the door” before entering on Sunday mornings. Like our forefathers Barton Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell, we encourage free-thinking and open minds here. We believe that God created our minds to ask questions—even the hard questions of life and faith.

I know of some churches where people are taught never to question anything.  They are expected to go to church with the sole expectation to be indoctrinated with whatever the minister says. Not here.

Believing very strongly in the historic principle of the “Priesthood of All Believers,” our church encourages and even expects free thought and the free expression of ideas. You are your own priest. No one here is expected to agree with everything that is said from this pulpit. You are always free to examine, to mull over, and perhaps, even seek an entirely different word from God.

One of the reasons we encourage such questioning is that we do not believe anyone here, including the one who does the most talking on Sunday mornings, has, or will ever have, all of answers. We come to church recognizing that we will never be able to get our hands on, wrap our arms around, all there is to know about this mystery we call God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

During a Wednesday night supper, an eight year-old little girl came and sat beside me. She said, “Dr. Banks.”

Not many people address me in that manner. I kind of liked it. Made me feel smart, scholarly, intellectual! “Yes, how can I help you?” I responded.

She said, “I’ve got a lot of questions about God.”

I thought to myself, “Well, my dear little one, you’ve certainly come to the right place.”

She then asked, “Where exactly do dogs go when they die?”

I thought for a second or two, and responded the only way I knew how. I just looked at her—in dumbfounded silence

A little impatient, she asked, “Do they go to doggie heaven or to regular heaven with the rest of us?”

It was then I had to admit it, “I really don’t know.”

I could see the disappointment on her face. But she quickly moved on to her next question: “How old are people in heaven?”

Again, dumbfounded silence.

Frustrated she asked, “You know, if you die as a baby will you be a baby when you get to heaven? Or if you die as an old lady, will you be an old lady in heaven?”

Again, I had to say “I really don’t know?”

It was then she said, “You know something? For a doctor, you sure don’t know much.” She didn’t ask me any more questions.

No, the truth is, for someone who not only has a doctorate, but someone who has hardly missed a Sunday in church for the last forty-eight and a half years, I really don’t know that much.” All learned after spending a few moments with an eight-year old.

That is why I love ol’ Nicodemus.  For Nicodemus also discovered that he didn’t know that much either after spending just few moments with Jesus.

The very educated and esteemed Nicodemus, a leader of the Jewish Pharisees, came to Jesus full of questions. “Rabbi,” how can a man be born when he is old?” and “Can you enter the womb a second time and be born?” and “How can this be?”  And through all these questions, Nicodemus is asking another question, “Who are you anyway Jesus?’

When it all comes down to it, isn’t that THE question? Isn’t that the reason we are here every Sunday morning? We come asking, “Who is this Jesus anyway?”

We, like Nicodemus, have heard some rumors about the amazing things Jesus has done. And we have been listening to his teachings and have heard just enough to be confused. And we’ve got questions. Can we really believe everything we have heard about Jesus? How can he be both an earthly human being and God at the same time? How can his spirit be both ascended into heaven yet still here with us?

Notice that although it is Nicodemus who begins the conversation here, by the time our passage ends, it is Jesus who is doing most of the talking. Nicodemus appears to be just sitting there in dumbfounded silence.

For you see, Nicodemus thought he would be able to go to Jesus and grasp Jesus. Nicodemus thought he could go to Jesus and figure Jesus out, get his hands on Jesus, wrap his arms around Jesus—understand, define Jesus.

Nicodemus learned what most of us already know: Sometimes when we come to Jesus with questions, Jesus doesn’t give us easy answers. I’m not sure if Nicodemus got any of his questions answered that night. However, the good news is that Nicodemus got something better. Nicodemus went to Jesus hoping to understand him, put his hands on him, wrap his arms around him, but instead, it was Jesus understood Nicodemus. It was Jesus who put his hands on and lovingly wrapped his arms around him.

So this morning, I want us to take Nicodemus as our model. While you are here this morning in the presence of Christ, I want you to ask Jesus whatever is on your mind. Go ahead and use all of your God-given mental capacities, use every ounce of intellect to try to think about Jesus this morning. Listen to what he has to say. And then, simply enjoy being with him.

Give thanks that we have the sort of God who wants more than anything else to be with us, who descends to us, who speaks to us, who shares truth with us, even if we cannot comprehend the wholeness of that truth.

There are a lot of people who have a great disdain for us church folks. Because they erroneously believe that Christians are those people who have it all figured out. They believe church goers are people who have had all of their questions about Jesus answered. And I am afraid they have good reasons for believing that.

I heard one pastor describe a member of his church who was convinced that he had all the answers. He said: “He is very stubborn and close-minded about everything!”  He said, “If he gets to heaven and discovers that things up there are a little different, he is the type that would get mad and ask for a transfer!”

No, the truth is, as William Willimon has said, “Jesus is that illusive, free, sovereign and living God who makes sense out of us, rather than our making sense out of him.” Every Sunday we risk coming to him, listening to him and following him, even when we do not always grasp what he’s talking about and know precisely where he’s leading us.

Notice that Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about wind and birth. For what in our world is more mysterious than wind and birth? In meeting Jesus, we come face to face with a living God. And we cannot define him. We can’t put our hands on, wrap our arms around him. The good news is that it is he who defines us.  It is he who puts his hands on and wraps his arms around us—And beckons us to follow him even if we do not always understand him.

This is exactly what happened to Nicodemus. We meet Nicodemus again sixteen chapters later in John’s gospel. When Jesus was crucified, when most of his disciples deserted him, Nicodemus was one of the few people who were there to lovingly bury Jesus.

I’m sure Nicodemus still had even more questions on that Good Friday. How could it be that this one sent from God, this Savior of the world, be so horribly crucified?

But there, at the foot of the cross, Nicodemus doesn’t ask questions. He simply does what is right. He simply followed. By being associated with Jesus, a condemned criminal, Nicodemus risks his reputation, and even his life. He proves, in the most loving of ways, that one does not have to have Jesus completely figured out to follow Jesus.

If we take Nicodemus as our model, the question for us then is this, “Will we follow Jesus even if we cannot put our hands on him, even if we don’t always understand him?” The good news is that if we say yes, if we promise to walk with him, Jesus promises that he will walk with us forever. For faith is not in the understanding. Genuine faith is in the following.

Frederick Buechner has written: “You do not need to understand healing to be healed or know anything about blessing to be blessed.”

I would add that you do not need to understand the miracle of life to breathe. You do not need to understand the marvel of love to be loved and to share love. You do not need to comprehend the gift of grace to receive it and to offer it to others.  And you never need to figure out the holy wonder of the Trinity, the divine relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be an eternal part of that relationship. You do not need to ever grasp Jesus to follow Jesus and have Jesus grasp you.

God Remembers

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville EnterpriseLeave a comment
Cash
Captain Christopher Cash

If I am to be truly honest with you, I must confess that I have my doubts. It’s just part of my fragmented human nature. This is why I love the Bible so. When I slip into the doldrums of doubt and despair I can pick up the Bible to discover that I am not alone.

Listen to these words of Isaiah to the people of Israel in exile:

“Thus says the Lord…I have answered you…I have helped you…I have kept you…I have given you….”  In other words, “I answered your cries in Egypt, I sent Moses to deliver you, I protected you in the wilderness, and I gave you a promised land.”

“And not only have I acted in the past, I promise to continue acting, reaching out and reaching in… giving you light in your darkness…feeding your hunger, quenching your thirst. I promise to protect, lead and guide you. I will transform mountains into roads, lift up highways and show you the way out of captivity…”

And what did the people say?  “Amen!”  No, not even close.

The people in exile responded to the voice of God the same way I suppose you and I sometimes respond—with a lot of doubt.

In verse 14 we read: “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’”

Fifteen years ago I became good friends with Christopher Cash, a member of the National Guard.

On October 1, 2003, his unit was deployed to Iraq. As the only person I personally knew in Iraq, I specifically remember praying for my friend Chris on the Sunday morning before Memorial Day the following year.

About a month later, I picked up the Saturday newspaper and read the headlines on the front page: “Captain Christopher Cash Killed in Iraq.” I tried my best to read the article, but couldn’t. I never made it pass the sub-title: “Cash leaves behind his wife, Dawn, and two children.”

The room started spinning. I felt sick to my stomach. I was lost.  And I had never felt more alone. With Zion I wanted to cry out, “The Lord has forsaken me. The Lord has forgotten me.”

This is why I love the Bible. I love the sheer honesty of it! In spite of everything I knew about God, what God has done, and what God promises to do, like Zion, I doubted.

Now listen to the good news: In verse 15, we read God’s response to our doubts.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands…”

This weekend we honor those members of our armed forces who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. They have loved others supremely, selflessly. And we remember them.

However, the good news is that our God remembers them.

This is great news, for our remembering is shallow and weak. Our remembering is fraught with doubt, laden with despair. However, God’s remembering is deep and unfailing. God’s memory endures forever. God responds to our doubt with the assurance that our loved ones will never be forgotten by God, because they are literally in the very hands of God.