SERMONS
Abide in Me, notes from a sermon preached by Karen Gronback Johnson at the Old Stone Church in East Haven, CT, on May 6, 2012.
Lesson: John 15:1-8
Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples. Jesus has washed their feet, and they have finished the Passover Feast. Our reading for today is a part of Jesus’ last teaching to them before they go out into the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
In the Hebrew Testament, the grape vine is used as a metaphor for Israel, with God as the vine tender. The Greek word used here for pruning literally means cleansing. Pruning grape vines involves cutting them back all the way to the stem.
Reading from John 15:1-8:
READ TEXT
When I graduated from seminary I spent the summer organizing all my notes. I had the syllabus and class notes from each class in a folder, along with any exams or papers I had written for the class. I had the books. I still have most of the books. Actually I have the whole lot of it upstairs in my office. If anyone would like a seminary education I could probably help you out—but you’d have to be able to read my handwriting, scribbled as the professor gave his or her lecture. Some of it even I cannot read. Ok so a lot of it.
I had every intention of going through each class again. If one is taking four classes and each class demands that you read at least 100 pages a week, and then write a reflection paper, and one of your classes is about Science and Theology, and they want you to read a whole book a week, and the books are about quantum physics and chaos theory, then you find yourself skimming along to get the meat of it without taking in every nuance. Or if you are studying the formation of Christian dogma and people involved in wars and assassinations over the concept of the Trinity….
The last couple of weeks I finally came to the weary conclusion that I would never be reading all that again. I’m just not as smart as I was fifteen years ago. The same things that I found boring then, I find boring still. And so I have been culling through some of my books. It is very dangerous territory, because now, NOW, I’m starting to read them.
I picked up Margaret Wheatley’s Leadership and the New Science. I remember being fascinated by this book, and even buying her second book, which I never did read. She is a business consultant, whose area of expertise is leadership. What does it take to be a leader of an organization, a CEO, or corporate director?
In the very first chapter she talks about organizations, and how she found examples of organizational structures in nature that did not follow our old Newtonian ideas about how the universe is framed. And while on vacation in the Rockies, she sat and watched a clear mountain stream.
The purpose of the stream is to flow to the sea. Any body of water tends to move toward a larger body, ultimately to the sea. Does the stream stay within its proscribed banks, regardless of its environment? No. If a boulder falls into the stream, the stream will find a way around it. It will carve a new bed, and continue to flow toward the sea. It will not be swayed from its original, clear purpose.
As Margaret Wheatley was applying this metaphor to a broad range of organizations, I, of course, was thinking of our Old Stone Church. Lately the boulders that have been thrown into our stream are mostly economic. How do we flow around them? Is our purpose clear enough to simply carve a new path?
In our scripture for today, Jesus gives the disciples a very clear metaphor—that of a grape vine. What is the purpose of a grape vine? (To grow grapes.) Very simple. Very clear. Can the branches grow grapes without the vine? (No.) Can the vine grow grapes without the branches? If the vine is Jesus, perhaps; but I’m thinking Jesus chose this particular metaphor because grapevines were all around the Mediterranean Sea, and I’m betting no one has ever seen grapes growing without branches.
We tend to think of this teaching in individual terms. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. How do we bear fruit? We volunteer in various ways, we are kind to our neighbors, we are loving people, generous with our time, talents and treasure. But how do we, as an organization, bear fruit? If we, as individuals, are bearing the fruit of Christ, why do we need the Church?
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
Often when people learn I am a pastor, they will tell me they are spiritual, but not religious. I used to think that was a cop out, but now I’m not as sure. Jesus continues to touch the lives of individuals; does the church? Because I suspect that somewhere along the way, we have lost our clear purpose as an organization.
On the back of our bulletin is our mission statement. Some of us worked a really long time to make this a succinct and meaningful expression of our purpose. But how do we, as a church, implement the ideals it expresses? READ STATEMENT
Before we arrived at this mission statement, we somehow, I don’t remember how, came to the conclusion that “We save people’s lives.” Jesus said
Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
If our purpose is clear, to bear the fruit of Jesus’ vine, we can do anything. We can weather the storms of the stock market, we can address the issues of the oil bill, we can bring more people into our fellowship not because we need more revenue, or because so and so would be a good worker on a board or committee, but because in Jesus we can save people’s lives. All we really need to do is abide in the Vine, and follow that clear stream, not losing sight of our purpose, and God will be glorified by the bearing of our good, sweet fruit.
Amen.
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The Challenge of Peace - Notes from a sermon preached by Karen Gronback Johnson at the Old Stone Church in East Haven, CT, on December 4, 2011.
Scripture Lesson: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
Our scripture lesson for today is from the Psalms. The Psalms were written in various times and places, usually as a part of worship, and were probably sung, just as we sing hymns today. Hebrew is a very lyrical language, and in Hebrew many of the Psalms rhyme and have meter.
Today’s recommended lectionary reading cuts out the prayer of the psalm, which is vss. 4-7. But I am going to read the entire psalm for us. It has to do with the revival of the people, and may have been written upon their return from exile, when the Israelites were allowed to leave Babylon and return to Israel, to find that the Temple was destroyed. The Temple was central to the religious life of Judaism, and the people were called to rebuild. Except that they also had their homes and lives to rebuild, and so were inclined to put off work on the Temple. You can read about the returned exiles and the rebuilding in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Hebrew Testament.
Reading from Psalm 85: READ TEXT
Today is the second Sunday in Advent, the Sunday of peace. Actually there are all sorts of ways to celebrate Advent; I have done Hope, Peace, Joy and Love—some people do Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. One of the liturgical helps that I use designates the four Sundays this year as Learn, Prepare, Look, and Yes!
We hear a lot about peace in church: Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, we ask God to hear our prayers and grant us peace, we pray for peace in our world. I doubt if one Sunday goes by that we don’t mention peace at least once. So what is it?
Is peace simply the absence of war? Is peace the absence of violence, or neglect? Is it a warm fuzzy feeling? Is it having all your family under one roof, safe and sound? Is it a good night’s sleep? Does it coincide with the word quiet—as in peace and quiet? Is it the feeling of being one with the Creator? I guess, just like anything else, your definition of peace depends on where you are coming from at any given time.
Before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus told his disciples “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Easier said than done. Jesus said this, but how often do we feel it? It seems that our world is filled with more and more turmoil, and as much as we would like to live calm, peaceful lives, the odds are stacked against us. More and more demands are made on our time and our resources, including our personal reserves of fortitude and compassion.
I sometimes wonder where people who do not have some spiritual connection find peace. We know about people who find peace in unhealthy and self-destructive ways, through alcohol and drug abuse, over-eating, and “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Imagine if we could convince them that all they had to do was pray?
Well, sometimes praying seems silly, or you don’t know the right words, or your trouble is so insignificant compared to other problems in the world, or you lose your concentration in the middle of your prayer, and your mind flies off in a hundred directions at once, and then you feel guilty about it. Any of this sound familiar?
But then, sometimes when you pray, when your heart is aching so that you cannot find any words, sometimes, you suddenly feel a sense of peace. I have heard this from many people, and I have experienced it myself. You just feel peaceful, and you know that everything is going to be all right. You see, I think we often try to fit our own agendas into God’s plan. When we pray for a solution, we can only see one way for that to come about, when God may have other ideas.
OK. So you’ve prayed, and then you’ve prayed again, and you still don’t feel a sense of peace or resolution. Maybe you need to pray with a friend. Or even have a friend pray for you. The most powerful praying I have ever experienced was when I prayed with just one person, and we prayed for each other.
And along those lines, there is a way that we can receive a personal blessing of peace right here in church. And that is to pass the peace of Christ to each other.
I know. Many of you have reservations about that. You have been in churches where people ran up and down the aisles hugging and kissing. Actually, this comes from the letters of Paul; in Romans, first and second Corinthians, and 1 Thessalonians he writes about greeting one another with “a holy kiss”. This was common practice in Jesus’ time, which made the betrayal by Judas even more horrendous.
The custom in the Roman world was that anyone of lower class would greet royalty with a kiss to the hand, the feet, or even the hem of their robe. The early church understood that, in Christ, we are all sons and daughters of the King; they greeted one another with a holy kiss, which in early times was very subversive act. The Eastern Syrian church still kisses; the Armenian Church bows. Then the message of Jesus to be reconciled with one’s brothers and sisters before approaching the altar became known as the reason to pass the peace.
But in almost every church I visit, people formally greet one another in some way as a part of the worship service. I am somewhat surprised when the pastor asks that people turn to the person next to them and say hello. Hello is nice, but doesn’t cut it for me. I want the peace of Christ. It’s a blessing. It provides a sense of our all belonging to one Body of Christ.
You can probably tell, I did a lot of research this week. Much of it was blog posts from pastors who wanted to do away with the practice of passing the peace, but changed their minds when they learned of its origins and tradition, and when their people said how much they missed it. One blog post was from a woman who said that when she visited a new church, she judged that church by how they passed the peace. She writes:
I like the fact that we greet one another warmly. I truly feel as if those people are wishing God’s peace for me. It’s like a multitude of extra benedictions. And if I was a visitor, I’d see that moment in the service as a good sign.
When UCC pastor Bonnie Bardot became the pastor of the Oxford, CT church, she resolved to do away with passing the peace, but her people complained and explained to her what it meant to them. So she did some research and preached (as I am doing) that what we are doing is really asking God to bless another person with the peace that passes all understanding. She writes:
I urged folks, not just to rattle off the words, “The peace of Christ be with you,” but to say it with meaning. …I must say I was astounded by what happened. It was as if the grace of God flooded that room. Even I, for the first time in my life, actually passed the peace of Christ to people. I did more than mouth the words. I sensed that I was a vehicle for the gift of God’s peace. The whole experience was amazing and transformational. For the first time I tasted the richness of a longstanding Christian tradition that I had formerly written off as stale.
This morning, as we prepare for communion, I will invite you to pass the peace of Christ to one or more persons near you. If you have a close relationship to that person, you may choose to kiss. If you like, you may shake hands. If you would rather not touch, you may simply speak. It is the words, “The peace of Christ be with you,” and the intention that is important. Do not be afraid to look people in the face, and to give them a precious gift, the peace of Christ.
Amen.
Marvelous in our Eyes, notes from a sermon preached by Karen Gronback Johnson at the
Text: Matthew 21: 33-46
I was trying to think of what Jacob Hemingway would have preached on the text from Matthew, and then I thought that I should have gone to the New Haven Historical Society to see if they had anything that he had written, and THEN I thought that he probably was one of those people who can preach without any notes. As you know, I am not one of those people. I am also not a preacher who goes on and on, repeating things seven times. Mostly you get it once, so you have to pay attention.
In the parable that we heard today, Jesus tells his listeners what would have been a ridiculous story in his day. True, there were a lot of absentee landowners, who entrusted the care of their vineyards to “husbandmen” or growers; the New RSV translation that we usually use calls them tenants. But they would certainly expect that the owner’s servants or someone would come to collect a profit, or the rent, if you will. And throwing the servants out wouldn’t change a thing; rather it might make the owner angry enough to sever his agreement with them.
And then to think that they would kill the son, and expect that they might inherit the property is sheer madness. Surely Jesus’ listeners must have chuckled over that one. Some of them, anyway. Probably not the Pharisees, to whom the story was addressed.
What Jesus is saying is that if you don’t have the proper respect for what has been given to you, (or really, loaned to you, or entrusted to you,) it will be taken and given to others. In this case, he was speaking of Israel’s special status as God’s Chosen People, and their access to the Kingdom of God. Verse 43:
Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (KJV)
Today we celebrate 300 years gathered as a church. Will we last another hundred? We have been entrusted with -- Not this building, though we love it and want to care for it, Not the Church Holiday Fair or Flea Market or Rummage Sale, not the lobster fest or Valentines Day dinner dance—but with the future of our faith. We are entrusted with the story of Jesus, who died and rose again to become the Christ for us, our Savior, our Messiah, the one who saves us. And maybe he saves us from poor health or crushing poverty or even poor judgment, and maybe he saves us from being too proud or being generosity impaired, but Jesus has shared with us the love of God, and the knowledge of God’s mercy and forgiveness and hope, which is the saving grace of our lives. Or so we say.
When was the last time you allowed yourself to be touched by God? I don’t deceive myself that every worship service we have here provides every person a moment of profound transformation. When I talk with the confirmation class about worship, I ask them, “What do you bring to worship?” I don’t mean your family or your offering, I mean what do you offer at the feet of Jesus when you step through that door? Do you offer your life to his service, or your heart to his love, or your prayers for his healing? Because that’s what it takes to be transformed. You have to open up, and be aware of the Spirit all around us.
I talk a lot about transformation, and really, that’s what the church should be about—changing people’s lives, giving people hope, sharing the love of God. The stone that the builder rejected has become the cornerstone. Jesus was rejected by the Pharisees and Jewish authorities of his day, and yet he is the One on whom our faith is founded. He lifts up the lowly, he says blessed are you when you are poor in spirit, or grieving, or persecuted. This is the good news! This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
In a few moments we will celebrate the sharing of bread and cup that is the fruit of our common love for Christ. What we bring to worship determines what we take from worship. If we bring grudges, bitterness, or feelings of superiority, we are not likely to be open to transformation. If we bring an open spirit, open minds and hearts, humility, a willingness to be changed, we will be. We will grow into the spirit of Christ, and God’s Kingdom will be found within these Old Stone walls, and carried beyond this place into the world.
Amen.
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The following address was given by Rev. Karen Johnson at the 12 Noon Service on October 2, 2011 in celebration of the 300th anniversary of Old Stone Church.
Celebration Address for 300th Anniversary of the Old Stone Church
October 2, 2011
by Karen Gronback Johnson, Pastor of the Old Stone Church in East Haven, CT
In our announcement before worship this morning, I spoke about some of the differences in the worship service between 1711 and the present day. I did a lot of reading and reread Rev. Harry Kelso Eversull’s book, the Evolution of an Old New England Church. As many of you know, Rev. Eversull was the 8th pastor of this church, and he wrote this history in 1924.
I learned some important things quite specific to Old Stone Church.
The first building was built in 1706 and was 20’ x 16’, about the size of a modern living room. The second church was built in 1718, and was 30’ x 40’ and 20’ high. The people were all taxed to raise these buildings, as well as the one in which we are sitting.
The pastor ran the schoolhouse and served as the teacher for all grades. As all the children went to church every Sunday, they all had to give a report on the sermon on Monday, which wasn’t so bad, except the sermon was two and three hours long.
Early in the 1700’s, in spite of or maybe because of a very strict and formal form of worship, there was a decline in the religious and moral life of the people in the Colonies. Around 1735 the Great Awakening took effect in New England. This was a time of particular religious fervor, in which matters of religion rose to the utmost importance. This was the time of George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards and James Davenport, who, with their many followers became known as the “New Lights”. With any new movement comes a counter-movement, which was known as the “Old Lights”. Jacob Hemingway was an Old Light. The First Ecclesiastical Church of East Haven was Old Light.
When Rev. Hemingway died in 1754, the church called Rev. Nicholas Street. He was also the schoolmaster, and married one of his students.
Reading from Rev. Eversull’s book:
Troublesome times throughout the colonies filled the second half of the eighteenth century; for America it was a period of universal chaos. In addition to the strain and turmoil of two wars, the French and Indian and the Revolution, with their subsequent periods of reconstruction, there was the reaction from the stricter forms of Calvinism and from the excitement caused by the evangelistic activity of the Great Awakening. It was a trying time for even the strongest of souls. Nevertheless, perfect harmony existed among the communicants of the East Haven Church…
A few pages later, Eversull writes:
It is quite probably that the positive program of the East Haven Church, demanding so much of the good people, kept harmony and happiness within the organization. The people were too busy and too absorbed with their own local problems to become involved in affairs beyond the immediate parish. Their meetinghouse had become too small for the growing congregation and too decadent to be repaired and enlarged, so everyone had to concentrate on the task of erecting a new building.
In December, 1769, they voted to build a new building, but they couldn’t decide where. Some wanted the Green, some wanted the foot of Mullen Hill (where now the railroad and I-95 run). It seems that perfect harmony did NOT reign in the East Haven Church, after all. After a committee worked for two years and still could not reach an agreement, it was decided in January of 1772 to request the judges of the County Court to decide. After hearing all the parties concerned, the court decided on Thompson’s Corner, satisfying neither faction. And so here it stands. Another product of a 6 penny tax.
In 1798 it was decided that the steeple needed a bell. Dr. Bela Farnam, a pillar of the church at the time, was present at the smelting and threw in 19 Spanish dollars, to give the bell a silvery tone.
Mr. Street passed away in 1806, and Mr. Saul Clark was called in 1807. He addressed a “looseness of moral conduct”, adopting a “rigid discipline, the impartial prosecution of which removed from church fellowship those who persisted in their unchristian conduct.” About 40 families withdrew, though some came back. However, Mr. Clark’s salary was insufficient to support his family, and he resigned in 1817. In November, 1817, Rev. Stephen Dodd was called.
At the General Assembly of 1812, there had been much talk of Temperance, that is, restriction or abolition of the use of alcohol.
When Mr. Dodd became pastor of the Old Stone Church spirituous drinks were in general use among the most religious and spiritually-minded people. Nearly everybody drank intoxicating liquor of some kind, and no one thought anything about it. …At ordinations and installations of ministers, weddings, christenings, funerals, and all public assemblies, alcoholic drinks were always served. (p. 101)
During the incipiency of the temperance campaign Mr. Dodd heartily concurred with the leaders of the church and began to preach on the subject, urging his parishioners to be moderate in their use of spirituous drinks. He readily saw the evils of intemperance and in all sincerity attempted to dissuade his people from becoming addicted to habits of excess. However, when the aim changed from temperance to total abstinence he was not so sympathetic with the cause. Throughout his ministry he found considerable comfort in an occasional glass of spirits, as he went about making his pastoral calls.
In 1822 there was a new theological controversy between two camps of New Lights.
As with former theological wranglings… the East Haven Church remained oblivious of the turmoil. Mr. Dodd was of the conservative school, but insomuch as his congregation was not bothered with the dispute he did not feel obliged to take up the issue.
Also in 1822 the sanctuary was reconfigured so that the pulpit was here instead on the north wall, and the pews were set in rows instead of boxes. The expenses of the church had been met by taxation but another system was required, so a new plan provided for the permanent sale of the pews, which netted $8,000. This reserve lasted less then 30 years, and its depletion then necessitated the rental of the pews, the front and center pews more expensive than the sides or rear. I wonder if that is why we sit where we do in this church, in the less expensive pews? At any rate the budget system was adopted in 1914.
Mr. Dodd retired in 1847, and the Rev. Daniel William Havens was called. He was a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln, supporting the anti-slavery cause, and frequently expressed his convictions from the pulpit, the parishioners heartily approving his attitude and encouraging his anti-slavery efforts.
All this history speaks to me of simpler times, or perhaps that was the desire of the one who wrote it down. Rev. Eversull paints a picture of a people bound together by their church, but even in these short excerpts we find hints of the dissention that is only normal among people in any human institution.
I think what is important to remember is that these were people bound together by their faith. They kept to their conservative, Calvinist beliefs through the Great Awakening, and while I, personally, would have jumped on the New Lights bandwagon, the East Haven Church kept to the tried and true.
But I would be remiss if I did not tell you, a new Great Awakening is coming. People are claiming their faith without giving their allegiance to any one church. Those churches depend on the pledge system for the survival of their buildings. These are changing times—in one decade we see more change than our ancestors in faith saw in one century. We can’t afford to be _too busy and too absorbed with (our) own local problems to become involved in affairs beyond the immediate parish.
I have heard it was the theology of the old Puritans to use only clear glass in their churches, because it was through clear glass that they could look out into the world, to see the work of Christ that needed doing. If we would be true to our ancestors, while providing for the future of our faith, we will face this new day with boldness, knowing that our faith will keep us strong, and the God of Jesus Christ will guide us as the Holy Spirit calls us. Amen.
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