Larry Wilmoth - In a Nutshell

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Published on Sunday, 30 October 2011 01:14

Written by Adam West

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A Sermon by Larry Wilmoth

In a Nutshell

Levitius19:1-2, 15-18; 1 Thes 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46 Dana has been dropping some hints about the two of us trying to get out and see a movie in the next couple of days. The movie she wants to see is “Footloose,” which most of you know is a remake of a movie made in the 1980’s. The original is a movie about a community trying to come to grips with a great loss, and the over reaction and fear that comes from trying to make sure that kind of loss won’t happen again. The first time I saw the movie was on a weekend recruitment trip to Maryville College, and my father went with me. He and I decided to go out and catch the movie, just the two of us. The themes of the movie, along with the circumstances of the trip, the potential of it being the first time I was away from home alone, combined to make it more of an emotional vehicle than either Dad or I imagined. I thought it was such a great movie, the kids got what they wanted, the parents realized they had to let go, they couldn’t protect their children from everything, and the kids had to make and live with their own decisions. But Dad’s remark stayed with me. He told me that he could see both sides of the coin. He could see trying to protect, and he had lived the need to step out and away on his own. I’ve always remembered that, and now I see myself living it. It makes it hard for me to watch the older version of the movie. Everything I’ve heard about the new one sounds like it is a good movie, but that doesn’t mean I’m blind to the fact that the way Dad said what he did in the spring of 1983 about “Footloose” was just another way that he reminded me how much he loved me and how much he cared at a time without embarassing a 17 year old boy excited about the prospect of being out on his own. In the long run, it became a movie about how people have to learn how to move beyond fear and loss, and learn how to live and live together. That isn’t a lesson we want to lose here. In the past couple of years, we have had protesters on the square in town regularly. We have had tea party activists and occupy wall street activists. We have had those supporting the war in Afghanistan, and those against it. We have had those striving to limit religious freedom and those striving to protect it. Surprisingly, the ones promoting the tea party and the ones striving to limit religious freedom have several people in common. I have been thrilled to see Pat Handlson from First Presbyterian take a stand for religious freedoms and striving to reach out the the Muslim community in this town and at Tennessee Tech. There is a doctrine of unintended consequences here. Trying to limit the rights of other religions just means that other groups will use these same tactics to limit the rights of Christians. And much of our scripture that we read this morning deals with how to live in community with one another. It tells us how to be holy as God is holy. Our Old Testament lesson reminds us that we are called to be a community, and to live as a community. It reminds us that we are to holy, because the God we worship, the God who leads us, is holy. This comes straight from God in our Leviticus lesson, and Christ himself reminds us how important this is in the Gospel lesson. And this is the key to our ability to live together and work together and be together as a community. This is the basis we need to live our lives as examples of Christ’s love to be spread in the world. And we know that being an example isn’t always easy. But knowing how to live our lives is just part of what we have to do to. Knowing what to do and actually doing what we have to do, well, we’ve all been there. In it’s own way it is very comforting to know that even the apostles struggled with it. First Thessalonians is the oldest letter in the New Testament. And when we read it we read a letter from Paul from a time where he is struggling with what it means to be an apostle. While Paul’s letters commonly begin proclaiming that they are from “Paul, an apostle,” this one doesn’t. This one shares the struggles we all have, as Paul seems to be defending himself. We are called to live in harmony as a community in Christ, but we are called to shake things up by proclaiming the same Christ to the community around us. We can’t afford to use excuses. It doesn’t matter how old we are. It doesn’t matter how young we are. When we love the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our might, we have to share it with our neighbor. And when I hear these words, I have to wonder exactly how we are missing the boat when it comes to reaching out to these groups I mentioned earlier. When we stand up for religious freedom, we also stand up for reaching out to those of different faiths, for understanding and dialogue. When it comes to those protesting on the square, we can’t stand on the sidelines. How much good could the church be standing with the tea party to remind them that we all count, and when one of us suffers we all suffer. How much good can the church be when it reminds us that God loves every one of us. How much good could the church do by taking the lead with those who want to occupy Wall Street. If you think about it, the church shouldn’t be on the sidelines, but should be leading the fight for equality and responsibility. The church should be leading the way by providing an example of charity and love. Our actions, our thoughts, and our words should all reflect our need to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and mind. Our actions should reflect that we love our neighbor as ourself. It is a need to see both sides of the issue, just like Dad saw in “Footloose.” And it is a need for our actions to govern by love and to show love in a way that everyone knows it is there, just in case we choose not to embarrass someone by saying “I love you.”