Sermon Ideas

These quotes and sermons can give you inspiration for preaching and leading worship on Pluralism Sunday, May 27, 2007.

Ian Lawton is pastor of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, MI. Here are a few of his sermons with an interfaith, pluralistic theme:

Jesus and Buddha
Jesus Through the Eyes of Rumi, a Sufi Mystic
East Meets West

Jim Burklo is pastor of Sausalito (CA) Presbyterian Church:

Jesus and Krishna
Jesus and Mohammed

Rev. Bob Cornwall, pastor of First Christian Church, Lompoc, wrote this blog entry re: Pluralism Sunday: Out of Many, One

Sermon presented at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Williamstown, MA by Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser of Congregation Beth Israel, North Adams, MA: The Tower of Babel

Sermon presented at Sausalito (CA) Presbyterian Church by Robert Abdul Hayy Darr, Sufi Muslim, on Pluralism Sunday, May 27, 2007: Islam and Pluralism

Sermon presented at First Congregational Church, Long Beach CA by Rev. Jerry Stinson, pastor, on Pluralism Sunday, May 27, 2007: Pluralism Sunday Sermon

QUOTATIONS FROM RELIGIOUS LEADERS REGARDING CHRISTIAN PLURALISM

“The single largest difference between fundamentalist Christians and liberal ones is not who they think Jesus is, or how they read the Bible, and certainly is not their stance on homosexuality or abortion. While there are large differences between fundamentalists and liberals in these respects, and all of them are connected, the greatest difference by far has to do with their understandings of other faiths. If you take away the notion that Jesus is the ONLY way to God, you undermine ninety percent of the power of fundamentalism. With it, you take away a sizeable portion of fundamentalism’s power to influence moderate Christians, a number of whom quietly ride the elephant of exclusivity within the Christian faith.” Dr Eric Elnes, co-president, CrossWalkAmerica (from his blog at www.crosswalkamerica.org)

“Through the years I have found my own faith not threatened, but broadened and deepened by the study of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Sikh traditions of faith. And I have found that only as a Christian pluralist could I be faithful to the mystery and the presence of the one I call God. Being a Christian pluralist means daring to encounter people of very different faith traditions and defining my faith not by its borders, but by its roots.” Dr. Diana Eck, founder of the Pluralism Project at Harvard (in her book, “A New Religious America”, p 23)

“As a Christian, there was a time when I thought Christianity was the only way – the only true religion. It was part of the inherited belief of my childhood. There came a time when this belief crumbled, and all religions looked like human inventions. The disappearance of my belief in the uniqueness of Christianity was accompanied by a skepticism about religions in general. In more recent years, my appreciation of religious pluralism – my acquaintance with a number of the world’s religions, and my studies of religious experience across cultures – has reversed that skepticism. The parallels among the religions (especially at the level of experience and teaching about “the way”, though not very much at the level of doctrine) suggest that there is something here worth taking seriously.” Marcus Borg (in his preface to “Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings”, pg 11.)

“There is no outward distinction, including between Christians and non-Christians, that ultimately separates us from each other in Spirit.” Rev. Stephen Glauz-Todrank (in his book “Transforming Christianity” p 72)

“There is a big difference between respectful politeness and an open-hearted, open-minded approach to people of other religious beliefs. There is a profound contradiction in claiming to have faith in a God who is greater than our ability to fully comprehend, and at the same time claiming that traditional Christianity is the only true faith in that God... We are called to worship God, not Christianity. What is divine is our encounter with God, something that is available to Christians and non-Christians alike.” Rev. Jim Burklo, coordinator, Pluralism Sunday (in his book, “Open Christianity”, p 200)

“...the notion that Christianity provides the only way of salvation and all other religions are of no use .. excludes dialogue and fosters religious intolerance and discrimination. It does not help.” Thich Nhat Hanh (in his book “Living Buddha, Living Christ”, p 193)

"There is a temptation in Christianity to think that we have a corner on truth as well as exclusive connection to the divine. But I'm reminded of the words of Jesus, who - in speaking of the Spirit - said: 'The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with Spirit.' There's that same wind again, just like on the Day of Pentecost. Remember the story? 'All at once the sound of a violent wind - like a tornado - filled the place where they were gathered.' So if Spirit is present where and when she chooses, where did we ever get the idea that we had exclusive rights to the Truth?" Rev. Grant Lynn Ford, Sunshine Cathedral, Ft. Lauderdale, FL _____________________________________

PLURALISM SUNDAY SERMON:

“God Plays No Favorites”

by Rev. Cathy Barker, Magnolia United Church of Christ, Seattle, Washington

Pentecost C07 – May 27, 2007 – Pluralism Sunday

Key Scripture: Acts 2: 1-21

Images: Peace Village images of heart and world faiths

“Peter’s Vision” by James Paterson

 

Invitation to Worship:

Last weekend, when our Korean partners were here, we enjoyed a beautiful peace concert by Hong, Soon Gwan. Rev. Chang, Bin told me that Mr. Hong is not accepted by some fundamentalist Christians in Korea partly because of his political message of peace, but also because he blends guitar & piano and traditional drums and other Korean instruments. Some consider these instruments “of the devil” because they are linked to ancient practices of Buddhism and animism. We know there are those who believe that anything that is not Christian is not acceptable.

Some believe that there’s no way to God except through Christ. Pope John Paul II wrote, “[Christ] is the one mediator between God and humanity.”

On the other end of the spectrum, we have people who say, “All religions are basically the same.” Nice thought, but not true! The world’s religions, and their various manifestations, are incredibly, richly varied. That’s what makes them fascinating!

Today is Pentecost, when we celebrate the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the Christian church. Today we are celebrating Pluralism Sunday, lifting up the great faiths of the world with respect, considering where we are alike and how it matters, and what our own faith tradition leads us to do. Let us worship, in a spirit of openness!

Sermon: “God Plays No Favorites”

 

A Catholic priest once said, “The Holy Spirit is the energy sent by God.” We heard in the scripture today, the energetic work of the Holy Spirit, binding people of all races, tongues, and ages together in a dazzling, exhilarating event. The Holy Spirit, rushing wind, life-giving breath, animated the disciples and blew through the people then and still does so today!

Thich Nhat Hanh, described by Martin Luther King, Jr. as “this gentle Buddhist monk from Vietnam” has written a book called Living Buddha, Living Christ. In the Foreword, Benedictine brother David Steindl-Rast makes the obvious statement, “We Christians have no monopoly on the Holy Spirit.” He quotes the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:14: “All those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

I’ve talked with many of you who have secretly or not so secretly held a belief that Christianity is not the only way to wholeness. Some of you have explored other religions, some integrate a variety of practices in your spirituality.

What does our Christian tradition have to say about this? In the Gospel of John, (14: 5-6) Thomas asks, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” That has often been interpreted to mean that there is no other way to God. Yet in that context, Jesus is speaking to his disciples. For them, he is the way. To answer Thomas’ question, they will know the way through him. He’s the way for me, too. There’s no indication that he intends to say that there are no other ways to God.

In that same Gospel of John, (10:14-16) Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.…I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” This is fascinating – could this mean that Jesus has other “folds” of people of other faiths, who also find the way to God?

And what about the story in Acts 10, when the Apostle Peter, an upstanding Jew who has always kept kosher, sees a vision of a sheet being lowered with all kinds of forbidden animals, and the unbelievable message, “Peter, kill and eat.” This makes no sense to him, even though it’s repeated 3 times, until he gets an invitation to the home of a Gentile--one who does not keep kosher – and in order to accept the invitation and share the good news, he has to be able to ease up on his standards, and be more open. He then practically bursts with the news, “I now understand that God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to listen to God, the door is open.”

There are two documents that are currently blazing the way

for Progressive Christianity. Both speak to the openness that Peter discovered.

The Center for Progressive Christianity (TCPC) lists as the second of 8 points: “…we are Christians who recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.”

The Phoenix Affirmations start off with #1: “Walking fully in the Path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity.” These perspectives could help to change the world!

The Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, writes, “People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies. When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result.” He believes that “when you touch someone who authentically represents a tradition, you not only touch his or her tradition, you also touch your own.”

Father John Martin of India [cited in the Phoenix Affirmations] likens the religions of the world to hikers climbing up different sides of a mountain. Each tradition has discovered a unique route for reaching the top. While they are climbing the mountain, the traditions cannot necessarily see one another. Individuals may not even be aware that others are also climbing the mountain. Yet when they reach the top, they discover each other. I love this image of the spiritual walk, yet part of me yearns for more awareness of the others on their journey.

We have distinctive ways of seeking, yet we hold some truths in common. Our own journey can be enhanced when we “touch each other’s tradition and at the same time touch our own.” To that end, I’d like to close with a reading that lifts up some of the teachings that we hold in common:

 

A Reading from Many Traditions (to be read alternately by three or four readers)

 

Listen to the voices of many faiths proclaiming the gospel of reconciliation -- the call to compassion, justice, forgiveness, joy and peace.

 

From Christianity: "Love one another; even as I have loved you. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

 

From the Baha'i Faith: "Be kind to all people, love humanity, consider all humankind as your relations and servants of the most high God."

 

From Buddhism: "The enlightened being should adopt the same attitude towards all beings; his or her mind should be even towards all beings; he or she should not handle others with an uneven mind, but with a mind which is friendly, well-disposed, helpful, free from aversions, avoiding harm and hurts; he or she should handle others as if they were mother, father, son or daughter."

 

From Confucianism: "The person of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself or herself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself or herself, seeks also to enlarge others."

 

From Hinduism: "What sort of religion can it be without compassion? You need to show compassion to all living beings. Compassion is the root of all religious faiths."

 

From Islam: "Be kind to parents, and to the near kinsman, and to orphans, and to the needy, and to the neighbor who is of kin, and to the neighbor who is a stranger, and to the companion at your side, and to the traveler, and to slaves that your right hands own."

 

From Judaism: "You shall neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."

 

From Shintoism: "Regard heaven as your father, earth as your mother, and all things as your brothers and sisters."

 

From Native American spirituality: “We are all related, our sisters and brothers are holy people put here by the Great Spirit. All things and people in this world are holy and must not be violated.”

 

From the Baha'i Faith: “Let not your heart be offended with anyone. If someone commits an error and wrong toward you, you must instantly forgive that person.”

 

From Buddhism: “Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world; through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law.”

 

From Christianity: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets."

 

From the Bahá'i Faith: "And if your eyes be turned towards justice, choose for your neighbor that which you choose for thyself."

 

From Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways you yourself would find hurtful."

 

From Confucianism: "Do not unto others what you do not want them to do to you."

 

From Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you."

 

From Islam: "Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."

 

From Jainism: "A person should wander about treating all creatures as that person himself or herself would be treated."

 

From Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole of the Torah; all the rest of it is commentary."

 

From Sikhism: "Treat others as thou would be treated yourself."

 

From Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as our own gain and your neighbor's loss as your own loss."

 

From Christianity: "Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’”

 

From Confucianism: “The superior one tends to forgive wrongs and deals leniently with crimes.”

 

From Hinduism: “It has been said that the continuation of species is due to humanity’s being forgiving. One, indeed, is a wise and excellent person who has conquered wrath and shows forgiveness even when insulted, oppressed and angered by a strong person... Forgiveness is holiness and by forgiveness is it that the universe is held together.”

 

From Islam: “The best deed of a great person is to forgive and forget.”

 

From Jainism: “Subvert anger by forgiveness.”

 

From Judaism: “Who takes vengeance or bears a grudge acts like one who, having cut one hand while handling a knife, avenges himself or herself by stabbing the other hand.”

 

From Taoism: “Show endurance in humiliation and bear no grudge.”

 

From Sikhism: “Where there is forgiveness, there is God himself.”

 

 

Listen to the voices of many faiths calling us to return to God, calling us to embrace the Spirit of Compassion.

 

Thanks be to God.

 

 

(Compiled and Edited from material provided by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding)