Hear these words written about our denomination:

The United Church of Christ embraces a theological heritage that affirms the Bible as the authoritative witness to the Word of God, the creeds of the ecumenical councils, and the confessions of the Reformation. The UCC has roots in the "covenantal" tradition meaning there is no centralized authority or hierarchy that can impose any doctrine or form of worship on its members. Christ alone is Head of the church. We seek a balance between freedom of conscience and accountability to the apostolic faith. The UCC therefore receives the historic creeds and confessions of our ancestors as testimonies, but not tests of the faith.

In other words, in our tradition we are free to disagree. Even on Sunday mornings here at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ our congregants hold different opinions on theological and social issues. We live with that reality because over the years the church has found that honest disagreements and open discussions create opportunities for spiritual growth and learning.

But we are not simply free to ignore those we find fault with. We are part of a covenantal denomination. The constitution of the UCC tells us:

Within the United Church of Christ, the various expressions of the church relate to each other in a covenantal manner. Each expression of the church has responsibilities and rights in relation to the others, to the end that the whole church will seek God’s will and be faithful to God’s mission. Decisions are made in consultation and collaboration among the various parts of the structure. As members of the Body of Christ, each expression of the church is called to honor and respect the work and ministry of each other part. Each expression of the church listens, hears, and carefully considers the advice, counsel, and requests of others. In this covenant, the various expressions of the United Church of Christ seek to walk together in all God’s ways.

So we can disagree with the UCC General Synod if we wish (or our local Church Council or even the pastor) but we have to consider seriously what our institutions and leaders (both lay and ordained) say. We have to honor, respect and listen to one another. The most destructive action we can take as part of a covenantal church would be to dismiss out of hand or ignore what we hear from other parts of the church that might challenge us.

We want our church to be a place that stretches the imagination, that inspires faithful discipleship, and that creates a sense of community. If, in the process, we learn something new from someone we once disagreed with, that might just be the Holy Spirit moving us in new directions.

If any of what I have just said sounds familiar it is because I used the same words for an article written in the May edition of The Crier.

Why share these thoughts again now?

Our reading this morning from James is one of the more familiar of the New Testament: “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”

We can come to worship every Sunday and proclaim our love and thanks for God for all the gifts of this world and still walk away not really understanding the essence of our faith. Jesus and the prophets before him understood God to be a God of action and therefore we are called to be a people of action responding to God’s word.

But in the United Church of Christ – a denomination with no official creed – how does a preacher stand in the pulpit and proclaim the word of God on the issues being faced by the church and her people today without sounding like that preacher is telling others what to do or how to think?

With some humility, I hope.

Over the last year I have preached from this pulpit on what I think were five difficult topics: the inclusion of gay and lesbian people into the church, the war in Iraq, immigration, environment and the issue of civil rights for homeless children attending school. Out of 50 sermons I’ve delivered here those were the most controversial. And out of those sermons you’ve probably found something to like and places where you disagree. The rest you’ve probably forgotten all about. I don’t even remember the other 45.

My aim is never to tell you that what I preach is THE WORD OF GOD. In fact, I’ve said time and time again that I respect the tradition of our denomination and believe that people can freely disagree with their pastor or even their church and still remain part of the family that we are.

What I preach is an interpretation of Scripture in the context in which I am rooted: I’m a seminary trained white guy with a wife, two kids, two dogs and a cat. Compared to most people of the world my life is pretty comfortable. Every experience that I have had informs what I preach. I bring both gifts to the task of preaching and deficits.

I know that some people would rather that their ministers never speak about difficult social issues and that the church would keep clear of controversy. But if we did that we wouldn’t be the church God calls us to be and if I stayed silent on these issues I wouldn’t be worth a lick as a minister called by God to preach the Gospel.

“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”

But I still understand that people can come to different conclusions on issues or understand the Bible differently than I do or the UCC does and still be faithful Christians.

The best way for me to demonstrate this is to talk a little about my family.

My mother was born and raised in the Southern Baptist church. My earliest memories of church are of the congregation she was raised in. The story goes that Frances Bright, my grandmother (who our daughter is named after), became a Christian as a teen and dragged the rest of the family with her each Sunday for worship. Have you ever been to a Southern Baptist church? I still go with my grandfather when I’m in South Carolina. If you want the opposite of the UCC go to a Southern Baptist church.

My mother is no longer a Southern Baptist but many of my family are – or at least they still go to what would be called conservative churches. But despite whatever differences we might have theologically or even socially our love for each other is total. We pray together before meals. We share in each others joys and sorrows. When I go on vacation 99% of the time it is to be with family. I respect their faith even as we have differences and know that those differences are not nearly as important as what we have in common. We share many of the same deep values, have common hopes for the world, and we worship the same God. Without question, I have learned from people who think differently that I do. No one has the monopoly on truth or on God.

I feel the same way about life in this church. We all bring different gifts to the task of living lives as faithful Christians and we all bring deficits to our understanding of the divine. But as long as love and humility are part of our theology I’m pretty convinced our gifts outweigh our deficits.

When I say that all I’m doing is echoing what we heard from James:

19 You must understand this, my beloved:* let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

No matter what church you go to there are going to be times when your preacher tells you something you either simply disagree with or simply do not want to hear. Jesus and the prophets were not always popular but they were always authentic and those of us in ministry who take our calls seriously also aspire – however many times we might fail in trying – to also be authentic…to be honest preachers of the Word.

And when we find that we disagree with one another let us all seek to remember the wisdom of this piece of Scripture. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. This is good advice for both pastor and parishioner.

Amen.