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It seems that one day, during an examination at Cambridge University in England, a bright young student popped up and asked the proctor to bring him Cakes and Ale. The following dialogue ensued: Proctor: I beg your pardon? Student: Sir, I request that you bring me Cakes and Ale. Proctor: Sorry, no. Student: Sir, I really must insist. I request and require that you bring me Cakes and Ale. At this point, the student produced a copy of the four hundred year old Laws of Cambridge, written in Latin and still nominally in effect, and pointed to the section which read (rough translation from the Latin): "Gentlemen sitting examinations may request and require Cakes and Ale". Pepsi and hamburgers were judged the modern equivalent, and the student sat there, writing his examination and happily slurping away. Three weeks later the student was fined five pounds for not wearing a sword to the next examination. Tradition. What is it? Does it mean going back to live the way people used to live hundreds of years ago? What images does your mind conjure up when your hear the word, "tradition?" For some it is a good and rich word, filled with meaning and purpose. For others it is a dirty word that provokes boredom and constriction. The dictionary defines tradition as "the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, and customs from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice." The Israelites had their traditions. Just take a gander at Leviticus if you want to see how detailed their customs were. (Read Lev. 13:29-37) Ian Frazier has written a modern version of Laws Pertaining to Dessert. For many parents with children who love to pick apart their parents’ rule with excruciating detail, these rules may actually be used. Here’s how it goes: "For we judge between the plate that is unclean and the plate that is clean, saying first, if the plate is clean, then you shall have dessert. But of the unclean plate, the laws are these: If you have eaten most of your meat, and two bites of your peas with each bite consisting of not less than three peas each, or in total six peas, eaten where I can see, and you have also eaten enough of your potatoes to fill two forks, both forkfuls eaten where I can see, then you shall have dessert. But if you eat a lesser number of peas, and yet you eat the potatoes, still you shall not have dessert; and if you eat the peas, yet leave the potatoes uneaten, you shall not have dessert, no, not even a small portion thereof. And if you try to deceive by moving the potatoes or peas around with a fork, that it may appear you have eaten what you have not, you will fall into iniquity. And I will know, and you shall have no dessert. So we see that tradition is really about passing on what people believe to be very important. Tradition is a way for folks who have had some life experience to say to younger folks, "Hey, this is important to me. I hope it is for you as well." For the Jewish people the one place that became the center of their tradition was the temple. The temple in Jerusalem was where God lived. So a whole array of customs and practices surrounded this holy place of worship. But in 586 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple and forcibly took most of the Israelites to live in captivity in Babylon. Fifty years later they were permitted to return to their homeland. Their first item of business? Rebuild the temple. They started with a new foundation, which was no small task. The Jewish people did not see life apart from God. They saw God involved in every aspect of their lives. In the 3rd chapter of Ezra we read that the builders finished laying the foundation of the temple. What did they do next? Go on to start the walls? Make plans for the stairs? No, they stopped their building to worship God. The priests were vested and stationed to praise God with trumpets. The Levites praised God with crashing cymbals. The people sang responsively. Hey, they were so into their praise of God that they even shouted. Kind of reminds me of the Super Bowl last Sunday. The interesting thing here is that many of the older people wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of the temple. Why? Because they were old enough to still have memories of the first temple. Older people are the ones who keep us connected with the past. They are the ones with our history, not yet written on paper, but residing within their memories. Tell me. Would you rather read history from a book or listen to someone tell it to you in person? Bob Smay has a history story to share with you now, not from a book, but in person. It is appropriate that we name this new building the All Saints Wing to honor our beloved saints like Bob and Henrietta, Fred Goff, Ken Muckey, David and Aleen Fison. But guess what? The term "saint" means "a person set apart for God’s use." This means that this building is also named in your honor. For you are a saint if you are trusting God to be your Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer no matter what your age. A grandmother took her 3-yr. old granddaughter into her lap and began reading to her from Genesis. After a while, noticing that the little girl was unusually quiet, the grandmother asked, "Well, what do you think of it, dear?" "Oh, I love it," answered the child. "You never know what God is going to do next!" Ezra writes that no one could distinguish between the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping. This afternoon we will gather to praise God as we consecrate this new building. I imagine there will be lots of joy and perhaps some tears. But the tears will not be from a deep sadness. They will be tears of joy. Joy to see how God has led this church from its humble beginnings to the many ministries happening today. People sometimes ask how it is that St. John is healthy and growing. My answer is this. We are a growing church because lay leaders like Bob Smay want it to grow. It’s that simple. In many churches lay leaders are too attached to the power and control that comes with their position as a charter member. But in this church it is clear that our "first" members have been willing to make the changes necessary to include new people. In our church tradition is never permitted to hold our future captive. In our church the living, breathing, moving Spirit of God is our primary guiding force. Someone may ask us, "What do you think of this new building?" Like this little girl reading the Bible, our response can be, "Oh I love it! You never know what God is going to do next!" We don’t know what God will do next, but we do know that God will never change the covenant to love us forever. This wonderful, amazing, and awesome love of God is the foundation upon which St. John United Methodist Church is forever built! Thanks be to God! |
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02.08.04 - Building a Foundation of Love (Ezra 3:10-13)
