Pasadena Presbyterian Church Sermon Text
August 15, 2004

"Living Well Means Living Right"  
Presbyterians Respond to Israel and Pales tine

Preached by The Rev. Dr. Barbara Anderson

Scripture:  Isaiah 5:1-10; Hebrews 11:29 - 12:2

In this political season of presidential campaigns, I took note recently that the Democratic Party has rediscovered people of faith. The Republican Party has known for a long time that we exist.  As Jim Wallace wrote recently, "it used to be that many liberals and progressives would say 'I have faith, but don't worry, it won't affect anything.'"  As your pastor, I want you to know that your faith is to effect everything, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum! 

As Christians, we ought to be describing our life as "faith in action."  Our actions do matter, and they need to be grounded in the Bible, in the life of Jesus Christ, and prayerfully in what God is saying through the Bible and Jesus Christ about our life and this world today.  

Other people outside the church know that our actions matter, both tangibly and symbolically.  When we get up off our knees and go out into the world, we'd better be ready to put our faith into action because:

1.  The world needs us to do that;

2.  The world expects us to do that;

3.  The world is watching us whether we realize it or not;

4.  God is counting on us to represent Jesus Christ to the world.

Here's an example.  Several weeks ago, about halfway through my vacation, it was time for a haircut.  I went to my stylist, who as usual washed my hair in the usual sink, then seated me in the usual chair in front of the usual big mirror.  As usual, she brushed out my hair and picked up her scissors.  That was the end of the "haircut as usual."

With scissors raised forcefully in one hand, she looked at me in the mirror and, in a voice filled with rage and confusion demanded, "Why do the Presbyterians want to obliterate the State of Israel?  Why would you tell everyone to pull all their investments from Israel?  That would be the economic ruin of Israel!  Why does the Presbyterian Church hate Jews?  Do you want to send us all back to the ovens?"

My mind, which had been in vacation, beach-reading mode, was totally stunned.  "We don't want to obliterate Israel," I said.  "We've never wanted to obliterate Israel.  We don't hate Jews and we don't want to send you back to the ovens.  I don't know what you're talking about."  

She replied, "I heard it on the radio and I read it on the internet, so it I know it's true.  I printed it out so I could show it to you."  With that, she handed me an article off the internet calling the Presbyterian Church "evil, Satanic, anti-Semitic."

You may have been involved in similar conversations in recent weeks, or had the same questions yourself.  Part of what we are called by God to do as Christians is to tell the truth, and not to stand by while people are being misled by hateful, slanderous and false statements.  That's part of what I described a moment ago as putting our faith in action.  This particular issue is an excellent example of how this happens in real life, both in my need to respond to my hairdresser, and in the Presbyterian Church actions regarding Israel/ Palestine.   

The Presbyterian Church has been concerned for decades about war and unrest in the Middle East, and has been involved in nearly every way possible to work for peace.  This year, the General Assembly took two actions related to Israel/Palestine. 

First, the General Assembly called for an end to Israel's construction of the separation barrier, or wall, that Israel is building. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has written the following about the General Assembly's actions:

"While fully aware of our interest in Israel's security, the major reason for this action was the Assembly's concern for the impact of the structure on the economic, social, and religious life of Palestinians.  It raised legitimate questions, corroborated by Israel's own Supreme Court and the International Court of Justice, regarding the route of the wall.  The General Assembly is calling for an end to the barrier in the belief 'that the best hope for security for both Israelis and Palestinians may be found in laying down all forms of aggression on both sides, ending the Israeli occupation, and finding ways to build bridges of peace rather than walls of separation.  Good neighborly relations, rather than mutual isolation and suspicion, are urgently needed between Israel and its neighbors in Palestine and the Middle East.' (1) "

Second, continued Dr. Kirkpatrick:

 "The Assembly authorized exploration of a selective divestment of church funds from those companies whose business in Israel is found to be directly or indirectly causing harm or suffering to innocent people, Palestinian or Israeli.  It did not approve a blanket divestment from companies that do business in Israel, as is being reported in some places. 

"This action was taken in response to an overture from the Presbytery of St Augustine, representing the churches in northeast Florida," [which is never a hotbed of Presbyterian liberalism].

The General Assembly primarily exercises its economic muscle through shareholder resolutions, but does sometimes divest itself of particular stocks.  For example, the Presbyterian Church has divested from alcohol, tobacco and gambling industries, as well as companies that are overly dependent on military contracts and those which produce components for nuclear weapons and land mines.  We do not, however, recommend or participate in blanket divestments against all companies doing business in a particular country.

This decision by the General Assembly is a decision to study the possibility of a selective divestment from companies that have become instruments of harm to innocent Israelis and Palestinians, and to report back on their findings in 2005. The focus of this action is to explore use of a proven tool of economic pressure to motivate real change in Israeli policies and movement toward peace.  This is a very different action than many of you are hearing and reading about in your news sources.

"These actions," writes Dr. Kirkpatrick, "are rooted in a longstanding commitment to the secure existence of Israel and the Israeli people, in a similar commitment to the security and existence of Palestinians in their own state, and in a passionate vision of negotiated peace as the only viable way forward.  The Presbyterian Church (USA) has consistently supported the existence of Israel within legitimate and secure borders, and prayed for its security and well-being. 

"It is, however, the conviction of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that 'the security of Israel and the Israeli people is inexorably dependent on making peace with their Palestinian neighbors, by negotiating and reaching a just and equitable solution to the conflict that respects international law, human rights, the sanctity of life, and dignity of persons, land, property, safety of home, freedom of movement the rights of refugees to return to their homeland, the right of a people to determine their political future, and to live in peace and prosperity.' (1)"

These actions were taken as part of a larger commitment of the PC(USA) to human rights and social justice all around the world.  The Presbyterian Church is not singling out Israel and Palestine alone for observation and critique.  The PC(USA) regularly publishes an annual report regarding human rights in other Middle Eastern countries, North and South Korea, Rwanda, Taiwan, Central American states, and many others, including the United States.

As  Christians, we are called by God to be actively informed by our faith as we conduct our economic and political, public and private lives.  Part of that faithfulness is to speak the truth and not to bear false witness against others.   Therefore it is critically important that you know the truth about what your denomination has said and will be doing.  That truth is as different from what is being promulgated in the media as night is from day.  You have a responsibility to know the truth and to speak it to your friends, your co-workers, your lunch partners, and even your hair stylist when the occasion arises. 

If you ever have questions about what the General Assembly has said or is doing on any topic, go to the Presbyterian Church's official website and find out from correct end of the horse.  The website is easy to remember: www.PCUSA.org.  Copies of the full text from which I have quoted are also available on the Presbyterian Church's website.

I want to put these decisions by the General Assembly in the context of this morning's scripture.  Isaiah says that our actions, both large and small, matter to God.  In verses 8-10, Isaiah speaks God's judgement against those who increase their wealth by wrongful actions against their neighbors.   In particular, God's wrath is promised to those who unlawfully annex others' property and expand their houses by taking over the houses of others who are ultimately pushed off the land to which they were entitled.  This judgement against Israel, written 3000 years ago, sounds a lot like what Israel is doing now to the Palestinians.  That is part of the basis on which the General Assembly has taken this action and the actions that have preceded it over the past many years.

In addition to what the prophet Isaiah says in today's scripture about the wrongfulness of annexing property, there are other important dimensions of these scripture texts for us.  Isaiah challenges us to be who we were created by God to be: a fruitful vineyard that brings forth a harvest of justice and peace, of wholeness and safety, of joy and shalom for all.  Imagine the beautiful, peaceful vineyards of California's central coast and the Napa Valley: rolling hills of green vines laden with fruit against endless blue skies.  Imagine your own personal life and the whole world filled, not literally, but metaphorically, with such beauty and peace.  That's the state of being for which God created the world.  But as Isaiah points out, we have desecrated God's creation with our greed, our pride, our gluttony and our lack of compassion, and negative consequences are visible all around us. 

We'd like to believe that our daily actions and our decisions as Christians are really insignificant, because then we don't have to feel responsible for their consequences.  And if we're not responsible for their consequences we can continue to do as we please without any thought to the larger context in which God has placed us. 

The prophet Isaiah knows better and so do we.  Our words and deeds matter.  The way we conduct our life matters.  The stands we take for justice matter.  The times we stand up for truth or for those who are being belittled or for those who have no voice these matter.  It's precisely because our actions matter that certain interests get upset when the General Assembly considers flexing its economic muscle.  Our words and our actions make a difference, for good or for ill. 

From an early age, my favorite hymn was Once to Every Man and Nation. It includes these words:

"Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide; In the fight of truth or falsehood for the good or evil side....  Though the cause of evil prosper, yet tis truth alone is strong; Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong, Yet that scaffold sways the future, And, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above his own." (2)

We do not have only one moment in our life to decide in the fight of truth or falsehood for the good or evil side.  We face those decisions every day.  We have a choice of how we will respond to every situation we face.  Will we be civil and respectful or angry and belligerent?  Will we place our desires above the needs of others or will we place our desires in a larger context?  Will we pretend that lies, untruths, gossip and slander don't matter enough for us to confront them or will we recognize that when thistles are allowed to grow unchecked in the field they choke out the good and needed plants?  Will we let others trample over us or will we stand up for ourselves as people who are equally loved by God and intended to be full human beings?

We make decisions every day to put our faith into action:

• when we speak a kind word to the neighbor out for her morning walk

• when we visit someone who is ill or care for a sick loved one

• when we sit with those who are grieving. 

• when we share our stories of growth and faith with others. 

We make those decisions every day when we choose how much of our money in our checking account to spend on ourselves and how much to give away.  We make those decisions every day when we choose how to compensate our employees, which candidates we will support and why, what car to purchase, and whether to repair sewer lines across the county or not.  Will we spend more time at the office or give that time to our family and friends?  Will we spend all our time on ourselves or give part of it to making the church and the larger community more of what God wants it to be?

We tend to see these decisions most starkly when reflecting on our life from our deathbed,  but the Bible challenges us to see them every day, challenges us to make the right choices every day as we grow more and more into the model of Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. 

It's easy to perceive this responsibility as only a great burden.  But, more importantly, it is a great blessing when we know that our actions matter, and that we are partners with God for good.  Our actions make a difference in this world like the proverbial ripples on a pond, and we are blessed to be able to put those ripples into God's service. 

Your kind word to someone today can be just what they need to feel loved and noticed and have ripples in other lives that they then touch.  Your example of honest business practices can inspire someone else not to give up on trying to live with integrity, who then may inspire others with their own example.  Your attempts to apply your faith to daily living, and your willingness to talk about the dilemmas you face can lead others to recognize the importance of Jesus Christ for you and for them.  Your willingness to persevere in times of trial, to persevere when the results of your faithfulness may only be seen by others or by future generations can inspire others to do the same. 

Our actions matter to God, to the people around us, and to future generations. That is a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous blessing.  We literally have an impact on the world in ways we won't understand until the future has been written.  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews knew this.  He inspires us to pick up the baton and run the race by telling us of those who have gone before us.  The people he names in the recital of the faithful were not people who started out in life to be known as great pillars of the faith.  They were people like you and I who did their part day-by-day to live by faith and in faithfulness.  They knew their words and deeds were important to God.  In their faithfulness in good times and bad, they became part of a great chain of faithfulness on which the whole world depends, part of a great chain of faithfulness that stretches all the way to the beginning of human history. 

Now it is our turn to seek God's guidance and practice our faith each and every day as part of the great chain of faithfulness, as part of the race that has already begun.  We step into the race surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses on a path that Jesus Christ has already blazed before us.  We run the race, knowing that our actions are part of a larger story in which our role is surprisingly important. The choices we make and the way we live do make a difference.  Thanks be to God. 

(1) from the 216th General Assembly resolution on Israel/Palestine

(2) James Russell Lowell, 1845

(c) Copyright 2004 by Barbara A. Anderson.  All rights reserved.  Permission granted for non-profit use with attribution.