We are here so get used to it!  Those in fact are the oft-quoted words of Peter Gomes when it was suggested to him that a Harvard of the 21^st Century would have a different set of architectural priorities than to place a spiritual symbol, Harvard’s Memorial Chapel, smack dab in the middle of the Harvard Commons.  “We are here so get used to it!” Gomes responded with the kind of “in your face attitude” that drew upon the inspiration of Jesus’ anger in the temple.

 

Unfortunately, I wasn’t as quick on my feet when one of our community leaders suggested some years ago that the downtown churches were taking up valuable space that could be used for more productive purposes.  In my own defense I want to believe that I was so shocked to hear such a comment in this community that is supposed to have a bias for religion that I was a bit tongue-tied.  But as the anger began to boil within me I could wish that I would have been as articulate and in touch with my deepest feelings.

 

I mean it really does make one speechless, but it does serve the purpose of reminding us that we are no longer living in a world of that old time religion.  Rather we are living in a world where our place cannot be taken for granted.  Even in good old West Michigan we are not insulated from the onslaughts of a society that would challenge the relevance of faith.

 

Actually, when I think about it, that is not a bad thing.  It is not a bad thing to have to defend our place in the universe, to have to justify that we are here for a purpose, and that purpose ought to contribute to the health of the whole community.  A few years ago I had a call from then Mayor, John Logie.  In my brief time in Grand Rapids I had experienced Mayor Logie as a hands-on mayor, but nevertheless I was impressed and not a little curious that he would be on the other end of the phone.  He was calling to ask a favor, and my attention peaked like an infantryman being given orders by his general.

 

It seemed that a new business had entered Heartside and become one of our neighbors.  Apparently some of the employees experienced some unfortunate incidents that can happen occasionally in this area.  Our good mayor was asking me to visit with our new neighbor to try to alleviate his concerns.  Well, I was still a little confused about what I could do, but the appointment was made and off I went.

 

What I found was something that both shocked and dismayed me while also being a bit humorous.  Our new neighbor wanted to speak with me about how he felt we at Westminster were a magnet for what he called the “disreputable elements” in the community.  He was referring, of course, to our ministry of hospitality and the outreach of our Food Pantry.  After I recovered from how one person could so misunderstand the ministry of the church, I tried to convince him (with some success I think) that we were part of the solution and not part of the problem.

 

And so, my friends, as we come together from the dispersion of the summer months, I want to spend some time reminding us why we are here and where we are going.  While you may think it is self-evident, it is not self-evident to everyone.  Our Session and our Long Range Planning Committee have also been trying to encourage us in this direction.  So this series of sermons will also have more than a little connection with those strategic objectives that will be guiding our life together into the immediate future.  However, the first point to be made has less to do with our strategic objectives than our roots in reality and our grounding in history.

 

I.                 The Power of Example:  We Are Here

 

To those who feel that Westminster is occupying valuable downtown space that could be put to more productive uses, I want to say, “We are here so get used to it!”  Our presence here is less an accident of history than an intentional decision of commitment.  In a few months we are going to be having a capital campaign with the goal of sprucing up this grand old lady that is showing some of the wear-and-tear of the years.  It would be easier and cheaper to get some acreage in Ada and build one of those new, sleek, modern structures.  But we are here because we have to be, we want to be, and we need to be.

 

And we can draw at least some of our inspiration from that powerful story at the end of the book of Joshua.  The Book of Joshua comes to a dramatic climax in an impassioned address by Joshua to all Israel assembled at the sacred city of Shechem, in a call to decision for or against the God of their forbearers, and in entering into a solemn covenant with this God by all people.

 

Like every good leader, Joshua doesn’t ask the people to do something he himself is unwilling to do.  So with those dramatic words that have echoed through the corridors of history and have connected with countless folk, we have an inspiring example of courage and commitment.  “Choose this day whom you will serve,” says Joshua, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

 

The people of Israel had come a long way through the wilderness.  It had been a place of trials and testing.  More than once they had questioned their purpose.  At times in the midst of their suffering they yearned for the orderliness, the predictability, and the security of Egypt while conveniently forgetting the pain of their oppression.  But now the end was in sight and you could feel the sighs of relief and the exhilaration of fulfillment.

 

But Joshua in his wisdom realized that a new battle was about to begin.  It was really a battle for the souls of his people.  For sometimes when the end is in sight we forget the lessons of the wilderness.  We forget about the cloud that guided us when the way wasn’t clear; we forget about the manna that fed us when supplies weren’t available.

 

“Remember”, says Joshua.  “Remember the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did great signs in our sight.”  This is how we got here; this is how we survived; and this is what holds us together.  Remember why we are here.  Our God has been with us every step of the way.  We have wondered if we would ever see the Promised Land but now is no time to let up -- “Choose this day whom you will serve!  As for me and my house we will serve the Lord” -- such is the power of example.

 

II.             The Example of Commitment:  We Will Choose the Lord

 

When a powerful example is held up, the people respond with commitment.  That is certainly what we at Westminster believe and that is what we have tried to model for these 144 years.  We are here; we have been here; and we intend to stay here.  Nevertheless, holding your place in the universe and working for values that are often counter cultural is not always easy.

 

Like those Israelites whose wilderness experience dwindled their ranks and diminished their enthusiasm, the church at the beginning of the 21^st Century is like a huddled group of travelers wondering if they will ever see the Promised Land.  Where Joshua challenges us to serve the Lord, we live in a world that says we will serve ourselves.  While the church lifts up a vision of equality, the world gives tax breaks to the wealthiest.  While the prophets of the Bible preached a bias for the poor, we assume that the poor will always be with us.  And so we have gotten comfortable with an unacceptable rate of unemployment and accepted homelessness as normal.

 

Listen to these statistics coming out of Jim Wallis’ challenging book, God’s Politics:  “One out of every 6 children in America is poor; 36 million people live below the poverty line; 45 million Americans are without health insurance; and 14 million families have critical housing needs as affordable housing disappears, rents and housing prices soar, and homelessness is on the rise.”  Add to those the appalling statistics at New Orleans that found 28 percent of its people below the poverty line.  Or the fact that this last year the wealthiest nation on the face of the globe added 1.4 million persons to the poverty rolls.

 

It is overwhelming and frustrating when at every turn our leaders (Republican and Democrat) seem to cater to the rich and in the words of our confession “ignore the voices of those long silenced”.  Sitting at this point in history, to join with Joshua in saying, “We will serve the Lord”, is a lonely place to be.  Yes, we are here but it is getting harder to hold our ground than ever before.  Mark Chavez, a sociologist at the University of Arizona, claims that only 28 percent of Roman Catholics attend Mass on a given weekend and fewer than 1-in-5 Protestants are in church on a Sunday morning.

 

We know that staking out a piece of real estate does not mean that we try to create some kind of island that is isolated from the winds of change and challenge that exist all around us.  That has never been the style of Westminster.  In fact having made the choice to stay here and to remain in this building, on this corner, in the midst of the neediest part of our city, we have sought to keep the needs of the changing city around us in better focus that we might keep faith with our deep commitment to “serve God and each other in the central city”.

 

III.    The Commitment to Action:  We Will Choose the Lord

 

While we are proud of our current and historic ministries, and while this church provides a hospitable and safe place to some of the neediest in our community, the truth is that we need them more than they need us.  That is why it is so important for us not only to claim our turf but to reaffirm our commitment.  The fact is that most of us are not poor; we are not homeless.  We know where our next meal is coming from and we have a pretty good roof over our head.

 

As William Sloane Coffin has said, “Those who benefit from injustice are less able to understand its true character than those who suffer from it.”  We have become an increasingly “me first” society.  We vote our pocket books and turn a blind eye to the common good.

 

There is a pathology that churches are particularly susceptible to -- “when you don’t know what to do act busy”.  This is the corollary to the ministers’ dictum -- “weak point shout louder”.  Frankly, sometimes a long-range planning process can be part of that pathology of busyness.  Set those goals and objectives, create those timelines, make sure the anticipated results are measurable and achievable.  In short, get control of your destiny by inventing the future.

 

Now make no mistake, I am in favor of planning.  I am in favor of having goals and trying to meet objectives.  It is a good thing to be intentional and not just bounce from crisis-to-crisis.  But the trick is not to get so caught up in our business plans that we fail to leave room for the Holy Spirit.

 

Joshua had an action plan:  “We will serve the Lord!”  And that action plan left plenty of room for the Holy Spirit.

 

Today is September 11 and I don’t need to tell you what that means.  For many it has become a memorial day as we remember those who died in the Twin Towers.  I lost one dear friend and thank God many others were able to escape.  While we never want to forget that awful event and while we certainly need to learn our lessons from it, there are those who have created around it a culture of idolatry.  Because of September 11 we are told to serve our fears, to serve our anger, to serve our insecurity.

 

When Joshua called upon the people to serve the Lord, he was calling them to serve their hopes and their dreams.  He was calling them to put aside those other gods that competed for their soul’s allegiance.  He was calling them to make of their promised land a place they would love kindness, and do justice, and walk humbly with their God.  Of course that language was code language for a land where the stranger would be welcomed, the orphan and the widow cared for, and where the poor were the objects of compassion and support.

 

Frankly, in a post September 11 world and now in a hurricane Katrina world, we are in danger of losing sight of Joshua’s action plan even in our churches.  We all want to be safe but not at the price of scape-goating the neediest of our society.  Let Joshua’s challenge be a reminder to all of us that we are here to do that work of justice and compassion that will not leave the poor behind whether in New Orleans or anywhere.  Here at the corner of Weston and La Grave we are uniquely positioned to engage in that kind of mission.

 

We are here so get used to it, because we are here to serve the Lord!

 

Amen.